No Money, No Problems... Yet: Breaking Down the Ravens Slow Free Agency Period
The free agency period started last week, making all players with expired contracts available to teams that want to build themselves to a Super Bowl. Teams like the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots took that opportunity to spend money on big names that will hopefully lead their respective teams to the promised land. However, it seems that year in and year out, the Baltimore Ravens seem to lose more than they gain during the offseason, and there is only one explanation. The answer is and always will be that money talks.
General manager Eric DeCosta has been with the Ravens since 1996 as a scout, moving up the ranks and eventually assistant general manager from 2012-2018, learning directly under Hall of Fame tight end and later executive for the Cleveland Browns, Ozzie Newsome. This duo seemed unstoppable, drafting rookies like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Joe Flacco, C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith, Matt Judon, Lamar Jackson, and many more. They had an affinity for finding studs and helping them create a name for themselves with the help of the coaching and training staff. However, when players become big, so do their contracts.
Testing the market after their rookie deals, Mosley signed a five-year, $88 million deal with the Jets and Za’Darius Smith a four-year, $66 million contract with the Packers, making them two of the best defenders in recent history to leave through free agency. Many fans were sad to see Judon test the 2021 free agency market, as he signed a four-year, $56 million contract with the New England Patriots. Even last year, the Ravens moved on from J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, who would both sign with John Harbaugh’s brother Jim and the Chargers. Granted, that opened the door for a different running back to come into Baltimore, which I will dive into soon.
More recently, the Ravens have done everything they can to keep certain players in town, making Lamar Jackson the then second-highest paid quarterback in NFL history with a five-year, $260 million contract and cornerback Marlon Humphrey to a five-year extension worth almost $100 million. Ravens also extended defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and tight end Mark Andrews, so if there is any question about where a large chunk of the Ravens money has gone, it is right there. According to OverTheCap.com, the Ravens entered the league new year with just under six million in cap space, which is nowhere close to enough to sign a star. The lack of money created worry when it came to thinking about extending left tackle Ronnie Stanley and, eventually, All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton.
Somehow, someway, the Ravens figured it out. They re-signed Stanley to a three-year, $60 million deal. Some may call it a hometown discount, but the now 31-year-old described it as an act of loyalty because he has “unfinished business.” This discount comes one year after taking nearly an eight million dollar pay cut, but success meant more to him than an extra few million per year. The Ravens also brought back fullback Patrick Ricard and wide receiver/returner Tylan Wallace to one-year contracts worth three and two million, respectively.
This year, the Ravens have already lost offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, cornerback Brandon Stephens, and a few other role players to other teams, with many more, like wide receiver Nelson Agholor, still remaining unsigned. The losses of this year are small but are a glimpse of what the Ravens will encounter next year when young stars like center Tyler Linderbaum, tight ends Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews, safety Kyle Hamilton, and edge rusher Odafe Oweh become free agents in 2026. Veterans who signed one or two-year deals will also end up testing the market if they don’t resign. This means edge rusher Kyle Van Noy, running back Derrick Henry, and newly acquired wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins may end up on new teams if the Ravens can’t find the funds.
As for the additions in recent years, the Ravens have a weird interest in aging stars. The Ravens just signed former first-rounder for the Texans, DeAndre Hopkins, who joins Dez Bryant, Steve Smith Sr., Jeremy Maclin, DeSean Jackson, Odell Beckham Jr., and more on a list of former stars that found their way onto the depth chart. Just one year after signing Derrick Henry, who seems to be an ageless wonder, the Ravens look to duplicate the fountain of youth elixir and revive Hopkins back to the era when he was in Houston. Instead of bringing back the 38-year-old Josh Johnson, who has served as Jackson’s backup for three of the last five years, the Ravens instead signed 31-year-old backup quarterback Cooper Rush from the Dallas Cowboys, who has a 9-5 record in his eight-year career, filling in for Dak Prescott.
In conclusion, did the Ravens need to spend huge amounts of money to improve their team? The answer right now is no. They have plenty of talent and only a few positions they need to target in the draft. After all, Newsome and DeCosta have been stellar in that department every April. As Ravens fans say, “In EDC, We Trust.” Once they iron out some issues in the secondary and offensive line and stability with edge rushers, there is no doubt in my mind that they can bounce back and make a deep playoff run.
