Just two days after hosting him as a tryout, the Ravens are indeed adding a veteran to their pass-rushing group. The team announced on Friday that they have signed defensive end Steven Means.
The 31-year-old spent one season with the Ravens in 2014. He stayed on the team’s practice squad for all but one game, and was waived before the start of the 2015 campaign. That led him to Philadelphia, already the third team in his career after he was drafted by the Buccaneers. He carved out enough of a role with the Eagles to earn an extended stay with the team, but he remained primarily a special teamer with them.
That began to change in Atlanta, his most recent home. He registered the first four starts of his career with the Falcons in 2018, not surprisingly setting a new career-best in tackles along the way. His workload continued to rise in each of the past two seasons; after playing 332 total defensive snaps entering the 2020 campaign, he saw the field for 1,335 plays across 2021 and 2022.
That increased usage came after an Achilles injury cost the former fifth-rounder the entire 2019 campaign. His return to health earned him significant playing time, although he has yet to record more than three sacks in a season. In Baltimore, he will likely take on a rotational role within the team’s edge group which, if Tyus Bowser is unable to start the season, will include a number of much less experienced players.
This deal lessens the chances of the Ravens landing free agent pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul, who visited the team recently, and could affect the future of Justin Houston, on whom the team used the UFA tender. In any event, Baltimore has a familiar face to add to its front seven.
Since the 2011 CBA reshaped rookie contracts and extension windows, Lamar Jackson is traversing one of the most original paths of any rookie-deal player. While Kirk Cousins and Dak Prescott laid the groundwork for quarterback patience leading to bigger deals down the road, Jackson is a former first-round pick — thus delaying this process — and proceeding without an agent.
The fifth-year quarterback resumed extension talks with the Ravens this week. This saga veered into new territory this offseason, when Steve Bisciotti, Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh all indicated Jackson was not prioritizing an extension. The former MVP echoed his usual pro-Baltimore comments this week by saying he expects to finish his career with the Ravens. Even for Jackson to play into his late 20s with the team, some significant business must be completed.
While the 25-year-old star QB is coming off a down year — at least compared to his stratospheric 2019 and solid 2020 — he still made his second Pro Bowl. Despite throwing a career-high 13 interceptions (in just 12 starts), Jackson has seen Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson change the quarterback market by reeling in Patrick Mahomes less than two years after his market-reshaping extension.
Watson’s contract — an unprecedented five-year, $230MM deal that came fully guaranteed — stands to play a role in Jackson’s talks with the Ravens, Kyler Murray‘s with the Cardinals, and pertain to other standout QBs soon up for extensions. Teams will try to treat Watson’s deal as an outlier. Players and agents will not. Jackson said, not in so many words, Watson’s Browns extension is not factoring into his approach with the Ravens, via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (subscription required).
In speaking to the media for the first time in five months, the Jackson also kept most of his plans close to his vest by using versions of the phrase “we’re in conversations” eight times during his minicamp-wrapping availability session. His non-answer regarding playing this season on his rookie deal — a $23MM fifth-year option sum — was notable. So is the fact he remains on his rookie pact after being extension-eligible for 18 months. This differs wildly from Murray’s blueprint, with the Cardinals’ dual-threat QB wanting a deal ahead of his fourth season. Most modern-era first-round QBs have followed Murray’s path.
Is Jackson’s patience wise? It is difficult to judge his tactics when it is not known what the Ravens are offering. A November 2021 report indicated Jackson was gunning for a Mahomes-level $45MM-per-year contract, while the Ravens were not there. With Watson’s fully guaranteed $46MM-AAV pact coming to pass four months later, Jackson is in a strong position to cash in now. Waiting worked for Prescott, who saw 2016 draft classmates Carson Wentz and Jared Goff sign their extensions in 2019. The Cowboys starter waited until the 2021 March tag deadline to ink a far more lucrative deal (four years, $160MM; $95MM fully guaranteed).
Making the Ravens face the threat of a QB franchise tag price (approximately $35MM) clogging their 2023 payroll could provide Jackson more leverage, but not cashing in now could also hurt his value. Jackson finished 17th in QBR last season — down from first in 2019 and seventh in 2020 — and became a superstar mostly because of his gifts as a runner. The NFL’s single-season QB rushing yardage record holder suffered a sprained ankle that ended his 2021 season early. A 2022 Ravens edition thinner at wide receiver does not figure to reduce Jackson’s run-game involvement much. Jackson’s 615 carries through four seasons are 148 more than any other quarterback in NFL history compiled to that point, with Cam Newton in second. Newton’s shorter-than-expected prime could serve as a warning for Jackson.
Then again, Prescott suffered a severe ankle malady during his 2020 franchise tag season and cashed in months later. The Ravens extended Joe Flacco following his fifth season — by far his most notable, with a Super Bowl XLVII-winning run leading to a then-QB-record deal — but that re-up backfired. Bisciotti already mentioned the Cousins route (two tags and a free agency bid), raising the stakes for these negotiations. As could be expected, the Ravens are not presently entertaining a Jackson trade, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com notes. If this saga begins down the Prescott path, would the team bail before it approaches the Cousins stage?
How and when will this saga end? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
The Ravens’ offseason has been dominated by the distinct lack of progress being made regarding contract negotiations with Lamar Jackson. With the former MVP back at the team’s facility this week, though, he was able to provide an update on the situation.
When speaking to the media after the team’s final practice before training camp, the 25-year-old said that he has been in conversation with GM Eric DeCosta about his contract status this week (Twitter link via the Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec). That is in line with previous negotiations, as Jackson represents himself and DeCosta has personally handled talks throughout this process.
Jackson added that he “expects to stay with Ravens for his career,” something which seemed like an inevitability at one point but has since been clouded by the growing belief he will play on the fifth-year option in 2022. If that were to take place, the door would be opened to a pair of franchise-tag years, in a situation similar to the one involving Kirk Cousinsin Washington.
On that point, ESPN’s Jamison Hensley reported before Jackson’s remarks today that there is “not a lot of optimism Baltimore and Jackson can agree to an extension before the season.” Talks between the two sides, even for a brief period, could change that sentiment, especially considering a different statement Jackson made.
Jackson “does feel worthy of a contract extension” at this time (Twitter link via Zrebiec). That contradicts the notion from earlier in the offseason that his focus would be squarely placed on the upcoming season, and remarks from ownerSteve Bisciotti that he felt the need to win a Super Bowl before commanding a sizeable raise.
Jackson also made it clear that his unprecedented absence from Baltimore’s OTAs “was not contract-related,” as noted by Hensley (on Twitter). On the other hand, when asked about his planned attendance at training camp and the beginning of the regular season, he replied, “We’re having a conversation about it. I don’t know” (Twitter link).
Depending on how talks go, there could be progress made on an extension in the near future. It still appears likely, however, that this storyline will continue into the summer.
The Ravens may be bringing back a familiar face soon. The team has worked out veteran defensive end Steven Means amongst its tryout invites, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic (Twitter link).
Means found himself on Baltimore’s practice squad not long after he was released by the Buccaneers, who had drafted him in the fifth round one year earlier. He didn’t see much playing time with the Ravens, however, eventually being signed by the Eagles in 2015.
Despite his limited role the following season, Philadelphia extended Means just before the 2017 campaign began. He still played primarily on special teams that year, though; it wasn’t until he joined the Falcons that he saw the field more often. His playing time shifted further towards defensive snaps starting in 2018, when he registered four starts, 14 tackles and one sack.
That led to optimism for his 2019 season, but an Achilles injury sidelined him until the following year. Over the past two campaigns, he has become a starter, racking up 81 stops, eight QB hits and three sacks (half of his career total) over that span. In an effort to boost their league-worst pass rush, however, the Falcons have turned to a number of younger options in the edge department this offseason.
Means, 31, would represent another veteran along the Ravens’ defensive front. The team already has the likes of Calais Campbell, Michael Pierceand Brent Urbanon the d-line, but experience is lacking in their pass-rushing room. Baltimore hostedJason Pierre-Paullast week, signalling their interest in a veteran at that position. In the absence of Derek Wolfe, Means could represent a less expensive option to fill that void.
A day after Derek Wolfe revealed he underwent a second hip surgery this year, John Harbaugh said he is no longer with the Ravens. The sides parted ways Tuesday via an injury settlement, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (on Twitter).
Wolfe has been with the Ravens since signing as a free agent in 2020. While he played 14 games during that season, hip and back trouble sidelined the veteran defensive lineman for all of the 2021 season. The Ravens opened Wolfe’s IR-return window but did not end up activating him, leading to a full-season IR stay.
Wolfe, 32, will still walk away with some guaranteed money. His contract called for $3.6MM guaranteed in 2022. But the longtime starter’s career may be coming to a close. Post-surgery, Wolfe said he is looking to “live a normal life,” potentially pointing to his career wrapping after 10 years. Though Wolfe was on pain medication while making his statement, it is easy to see him walking away after this lengthy ordeal. The Cincinnati alum was considering retirement after the first of his two 2022 hip operations.
The former Broncos second-round pick has 116 starts on his resume. Wolfe has played through injuries for much of his career and missed Denver’s stretch run to Super Bowl XLVIII after being hospitalized due to seizure-like symptoms. He returned for the 2014 season, reclaiming his starting post, and teamed with Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Malik Jackson to form a dominant pass rush that took over the AFC championship game and Super Bowl 50 to close out the 2015 season.
Just prior to those playoffs, Wolfe signed an extension to stay in Denver. Although the Broncos did not give him the third contract he sought in 2020, Wolfe scored two deals with the Ravens. The interior D-lineman has earned more than $50MM during his career.
Stout transferred to Penn State after two fairly inactive years at Virginia Tech. Stout served double-duty in Happy Valley kicking both punts and field goals. Stout kicked 100 punts during his time as a Nittany Lion, as well as converting 16 of 23 field goals and 34 of 36 extra points. Stout will be asked to fill big shoes after long-time Ravens punter Sam Kochannounced his retirement last month. Stout will likely also be able to save All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker‘s leg a little stress, as Stout served as the kickoff specialist during his time at both Virginia Tech and Penn State.
Woods’s role as a safety changed a bit over his time in Waco. His first two years saw him play a bit more in the box, as he recorded 2.0 sacks and three fumble recoveries. He developed a bit of range in his next two years as a Bear, totaling eight interceptions over that time period. Woods even had a knack for being dangerous with the ball in his hands, averaging 25.13 return yards per interception. He showed true play-making ability as a senior recording 4.5 tackles for loss while also returning both an interception and a fumble for a touchdown. He adds safety depth to a Chargers roster with Nasir Adderley, Derwin James, and Alohi Gilman at the top of the depth chart.
Following Derek Wolfe‘s January hip surgery, the veteran defensive lineman was connected to retirement rumors. Those are not likely to stop. Wolfe revealed Monday he underwent his second hip operation of the year (h/t Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun, on Twitter).
The former Super Bowl starter did not play last season, spending the year on IR. He is tied to a fully guaranteed $3.6MM 2022 salary. Wolfe, 32, said he is looking to “live a normal life,” following this surgery. While that goes without saying, the sentiment may move him further from the prospect of playing another NFL season.
Baltimore picked up Wolfe in 2020, after the Denver did not give him a second extension. The ex-Von Miller–DeMarcus Ware sidekick played a key role for the Ravens’ 2020 defense, starting eight games and playing in 14. The team then gave Wolfe a three-year, $12MM deal in March 2021.
Although Wolfe has dealt with injuries for much of his career, 2021 marked the only season in which he missed more than five games. The Ravens began his IR-return period in October but let the three-week window expire, leading the veteran D-lineman back to season-ending IR. Hip trouble, along with a back issue, led to Wolfe’s season-long absence. The Wolfe-Ravens partnership may be nearing an end, with this hip procedure likely a threat to his early-season availability.
The Ravens entered the offseason with few proven defensive linemen on their roster. The team has, however, brought back both Calais Campbell and Michael Pierce. Baltimore also signed Brent Urban, who was with the team from 2015-18. The vets join starter Justin Madubuike, third-year cog Broderick Washington and third-round pick Travis Jones in the team’s primary D-line mix. Nine-year contributor Brandon Williams remains a free agent.
As John Harbaughexpected, Lamar Jackson is back with his teammates at minicamp. The former MVP showed up to the team’s facility ahead of the mandatory workouts, which are slated to begin Tuesday.
Entangled in a somewhat strange contract situation, Jackson stayed away from Ravens OTAs this year. The star quarterback had usually attended those voluntary sessions in previous years. But the franchise’s centerpiece player is back for the mandatory work, at least. As far as an extension goes, that is another matter entirely.
The Ravens have Jackson tied to a $23MM fifth-year option this season. Harbaugh, GM Eric DeCosta and owner Steve Bisciottihave spoken about the quarterback’s extension situation, each indicating the team is more prepared to hammer out a deal than the quarterback is. All indications at this point have Jackson on track to play out his rookie contract, setting up a franchise tag scenario in 2023. Although there is still time for the parties to prevent that chain of events, this remains one of the more unusual contractual sagas to unfold in recent years. Jackson, 25, has been extension-eligible since the 2020 regular season ended.
The former Heisman winner will avoid the $90K-plus fine by showing up for the Ravens’ mandatory sessions, returning to work with a new-look offensive line and a receiving corps now without his top wideout (Marquise Brown) of the past three seasons. The Ravens are breaking in rookie center Tyler Linderbaum, and they have a new right tackle in Morgan Moses. While OTAs do not feature any padded practices, and the Ravens are returning their play-caller (Greg Roman), Jackson’s absence was still notable.
But this has never been viewed as a contentious situation. The parties have nearly three months to complete an extension before Week 1. Even if they do not, Jackson has continually said he wants to stay in Baltimore. He has taken an atypical route to show that affection, at least compared to most QBs who have been in his spot since the 2011 CBA changed rookies’ salaries and timetables. Though, it is unknown what the Ravens have offered the agent-less talent. For now, the team can again move forward with its longtime passer after some time apart.
Due to a flurry of additions, the 2022 AFC presents a crowded competition for playoff and Super Bowl LVII access. Some of the top-tier teams addressed key weaknesses, and several middle-class squads took big swings in respective aims to improve their chances this season.
The fallout paints a picture in which barely any AFCers can be truly counted out for playoff contention. Future Hall of Famers, potential Canton inductees, and Pro Bowlers moving from the NFC — along with various intra-AFC changes — have made for one of the most captivating offseasons in modern NFL annals. While the offseason is not yet complete, most of the acquisition dominoes ahead of training camp have fallen. Which team did the best work?
With Russell Wilson joining the Broncos, the AFC West’s Wilson-Patrick Mahomes–Derek Carr–Justin Herbert quartet appears of the great quarterback armadas any division has fielded in the five-plus-decade divisional era. The Broncos gave up two first-round selections in a five-pick deal but were able to hang onto their young receivers. Denver, which moved to a younger coaching staff headed by first-time HCNathaniel Hackett and two rookie coordinators, also added defenders Randy Gregory and D.J. Jones. Going from the Teddy Bridgewater–Drew Lock combo to Wilson represents one of the top gains any team made this offseason, but Denver’s divisional competition will not make improvement easy.
Of last season’s conference kingpins, the Chiefs and Titans endured the biggest losses. Hill and Tyrann Mathieu‘s exits will test the six-time reigning AFC West champs, while last year’s No. 1 seed balked at a monster A.J. Brown extension by trading him to the Eagles for a package headlined by a 2022 first-rounder. Both teams did address some needs early in the draft, but the Bengals and Bills look to have definitively improved their rosters.
Oddsmakers do not expect the Jaguars’ moves to translate to 2022 contention, but the team did hire a former Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson and spend wildly for lineup upgrades — from Christian Kirk to Brandon Scherff to Foye Oluokun— and used two first-round picks (Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd) to further upgrade its defense. Going from Urban Meyer to Pederson should offer stability to a franchise that has lacked it, never more so than in 2021.
Are there other teams that warrant mention here? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on the new-look AFC in the comments section.
As the OTA portion of the offseason came to a close, Lamar Jacksonremained a key talking point around the Ravens. His absence at the voluntary workouts continued, as noted by ESPN’s Jamison Hensley (on Twitter).
Jackson skipped OTAs for the first time in his career this offseason, one which has been dominated by speculation regarding his contract status. Once considered to be a lock for the next mega-deal signed by the league’s top young quarterbacks in recent years, Jackson and the Ravens are widely thought to be in a holding pattern until next offseason. Assuming that remains the case, the 25-year-old will earn $23MM this year on the fifth-year option.
The team has made repeated efforts to negotiate a long-term deal with Jackson, but little traction has been found with respect to contract talks. The ongoing financial situation between player and club was front and center once again when it became known he was conducting offseason work privately, rather than with the team, during OTAs. That activity did, on the other hand, include work with some of the team’s receivers earlier in the spring, something which has added significance given the question marks surrounding that position group.
Not long after confirming Jackson’s absence from the final week of OTAs, Hensley did tweet that he is expected to be present for next week’s mandatory minicamp. Head coach John Harbaugh, Hensley added, “is sure Jackson will report in great shape.” Doing so would ease concerns related to his 2022 prospects, considering the time missed dating back to last season’s injury, and could quell some of the questions related to his long-term future with the team.
