Baltimore Ravens News & Rumors

Alejandro Villanueva Retires

March 9th, 2022 at 3:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of several roster moves announced on Wednesday by the Ravens included the retirement of left tackle Alejandro Villanueva. The 33-year-old is ending his career after seven seasons.

The veteran signed a two-year deal worth up to $14MM in Baltimore last offseason. That came after six seasons spent with the Steelers, a span which included back-to-back Pro Bowls in 2017 and 2018. A late starter in terms of his football career due to Army service, he established himself as a durable, consistent blindside protector in Pittsburgh.

He began to show signs of slowing down the later stages of his time with the Steelers, however. That opened up the possibility of him transitioning to right tackle, which was the expectation when he joined the Ravens. Due to Ronnie Stanley‘s ankle injury not healing as expected, though, he required a second straight season-ending surgery. That pushed Villanueva back to his more comfortable position.

Unfortunately, Villanueva was a member of an offensive front which struggled throughout the campaign in Baltimore. He played over 1,200 snaps, as availability wasn’t a concern. However, PFF credits him with 11 penalties committed and nine sacks allowed, leading to an overall grade of 65.2. Despite the other year remaining on his deal, then, many felt his first year in Charm City would be his last.

The news saves the Ravens $6MM in cap space, while leaving $3.25MM on the books in dead money. Stanley is still under contract long-term, and the team has been optimistic about his ability to fully heal in time for the 2022 season. The other tackles currently on the roster are Ja’Wuan James, who missed all of last season with a torn Achilles, and Patrick Mekari, who has emerged as a key utility linemen, filling in as needed at multiple positions.

While the Ravens will move forward looking to add at least some tackle depth either in free agency next week or the draft next month, Villanueva will end a celebrated NFL career that made him one of the most well-respected players in the league.

Ravens Release CB Tavon Young

March 9th, 2022 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tavon Young battled back from three major injuries to play in all 17 Ravens games last season. The team is still moving on from its longtime slot cornerback.

The Ravens announced Young’s release Wednesday. This move will save them nearly $6MM. Young was a productive player in Baltimore, but the 2016 fourth-round pick ran into rampant injury trouble over the past several years.

Two knee maladies and a neck injury combined to sideline Young for 46 games over the 2017, ’19 and ’20 seasons. Young bounced back in 2018, playing 15 games and earning his Ravens extension — a three-year, $13.9MM pact. But a neck injury sustained during the 2019 offseason stalled that momentum. His 2020 knee injury led to a reworked contract.

Young, 27, played 51% of the Ravens’ defensive snaps in 2021. The Ravens endured a brutal injury season, one that saw corners Marcus Peters miss the entire year and Marlon Humphrey go down in December. This came after Baltimore traded rookie Shaun Wade to New England just before the season. Young broke up three passes, intercepted another and registered three sacks in 2021, giving him a bit of momentum after the run of injuries. But the various health setbacks stand to limit Young’s value on the market.

Lamar Jackson Holds Power In Negotiations

March 5th, 2022 at 7:59pm CST by Ely Allen

If you’ve been following the contract negotiation updates between the Ravens and star quarterback Lamar Jackson, you’ve been hearing about a young kid without proper representation lackadaisically going through “unusual” procedures. Well, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, those plugged into the situation believe Jackson is in far more control than has been illustrated.

Baltimore has reportedly presented offers to the 25 year-old focusing on term rather than annual average. Even so, long-term in this situation is being defined as five years or more. These long-term offers to Jackson apparently value in the realm of $35MM per year. In either respect, it doesn’t sound like the offers compare to those of fellow star quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes (10-year, $45MM aav) or Josh Allen (6-year, $43.01MM aav). General manager Eric DeCosta has repeatedly stated that, when Jackson wants to talk, he’s ready to work towards a deal.

Casual observers have frequently made comments that it would be much more prudent for Jackson to allow an agent to move forward with negotiations that could land him a deal worthy of his talents while allowing him to focus on his play. Jackson has confidence he can do both, and those casual observers may come to agree if they learn what Jackson is aiming for.

According to La Canfora’s sources, Jackson isn’t looking at Mahomes and Allen when thinking about his options moving forward, Jackson is looking at Vikings’ quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins, who is not considered on the same level as Mahomes, Allen, and Jackson, played out his rookie contract, played out two franchise tags, then captured a fully-guaranteed, three-year deal worth $84MM.

If Jackson follows this route, he is set to earn $23.02MM in the 2022 NFL season. This year’s franchise tag value for quarterbacks is set at $28.6MM. It will be adjusted, and likely increased, next year and the year after. Plus, when a player receives a franchise tag for the second year in a row, instead of getting paid the value of the tag, they are paid 120% of its value. So, to illustrate the inherent value there, if the franchise tag numbers were to stay the same over the next two years (they won’t), Jackson’s next three seasons would pay out $23.02MM, $28.6MM, and $34.32MM respectively. Following that, Jackson would be a former-MVP quarterback on the market before he turns 30, an extremely rare commodity.

If Cousins was able to leverage that situation into a three-year, $84MM deal, think what Jackson could earn. Jackson is obviously worth more than Cousins’ $28MM per year and over a short-term deal Jackson could net an even higher average still. Not to mention that every year, the market increases. With gambling money pouring in and record media deals paying dividends, NFL contracts continue to skyrocket. Cousins’ deal was made in 2018. In 2025, a top-tier quarterback may be able to earn up to $50MM per year if contract numbers continue to climb.

Allowing Lamar to carry those cap numbers over the next three years could truly hamper the Ravens’ ability to surround him with talent. The way Jackson sees it, he is betting on himself in the short-term but sees an opportunity to cash in either way. He has placed himself in an enviable position that tells Baltimore they don’t have to pay him what he’s asking for, but, if they don’t, it won’t do their cap space any favors.

Expect for Jackson to continue waiting patiently for a deal he can’t say “no” to. Until then, Jackson will continue to focus on his play. As long as he stays healthy and continues to perform at the level he’s shown he can, Jackson is due for a payday regardless of when a deal gets made.

Ravens Hope To Re-Sign Calais Campbell

March 2nd, 2022 at 7:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Deemed a retirement candidate late in his 14th season, Calais Campbell subsequently indicated he plans on playing in 2022. The Ravens hope the stalwart defensive lineman will be back in Baltimore.

Eric DeCosta has been in contact with Campbell, and although the Baltimore GM sounded less certain aging interior D-lineman will play again, he would sign off on a third Campbell season with the Ravens.

“I don’t want to speak for Calais, but I asked Calais, I basically said, ‘Listen, if you want to play, I’d like you to let me know at some point because we thought you had a good year, you are a good player,’” DeCosta said, via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (subscription required) “I have a lot of admiration for Calais as a person and as a player and as a leader.

“I’m hopeful that we can bring him back. We’d love to bring him back.”

Campbell, 35, delivered another strong season and was available in 15 games. That helped a Ravens team that did not have Derek Wolfe‘s services at all in 2021. Wolfe is coming off hip surgery, and the Ravens have D-linemen Brandon Williams on track for free agency. The Ravens re-signed Williams before he hit the market in 2017, but the higher-end interior defender turned 33 last week. Wolfe is signed, but he would be set for his age-32 season. Edge rusher Justin Houston, 33, is also a free agent. Defensive line is certainly a place where the Ravens could use younger regulars, but the team is thin at the interior and edge spots.

A former Cardinals second-round pick, Campbell has excelled for three franchises. He already rewarded the Jaguars as a 30-something free agent, spearheading the team’s “Sacksonville” D-line to the Super Bowl precipice in 2017. After three Pro Bowl seasons in Jacksonville, Campbell landed in Baltimore via trade. He and the Ravens agreed on a new deal following that swap, and Campbell made his sixth Pro Bowl in 2020.

Despite his age, Campbell (36 in September) stands to generate interest in his first free agency trip in five years. The All-Decade lineman and all-time kick blocker would be an interesting addition to a contender’s D-line. Holding just more than $8MM in cap space, the Ravens rank in the NFL’s bottom half here. The Ravens have exclusive negotiating rights with Campbell until March 14, when the legal tampering period opens.

Ravens GM: Lamar Jackson Not Actively Pursuing Extension

March 2nd, 2022 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens have become the rare team to go four seasons with a star quarterback tied to a rookie contract. Lamar Jackson played the 2021 season for $1.8MM and is going into his fifth-year option season still attached to his 2018 rookie pact.

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta indicated the young quarterback has not been especially aggressive in pursuing an extension, one the team is ready to discuss.

“I think it takes two sides to actively put their heads together and get a deal worked out,” DeCosta said, via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley. “We are ready to be there for Lamar at any point when he decides that he really wants to work on it, we will be.”

Last month, DeCosta labeled these as unusual extension talks due to Jackson being without an agent. DeCosta has spoken with Jackson via text just once over the past month. The Ravens have gone from treating this extension as a formality in 2021 to being less certain here, Hensley adds, due to the lack of progress. John Harbaugh said back in January 2021 a Jackson extension would occur during the 2021 or ’22 offseasons. We are now on the back half of that timeline.

While Baker Mayfield joins Jackson as an un-extended 2018 first-round QB, Jackson resides on a different tier in terms of ability. Josh Allen landed his extension before the start of his fourth season, following many recent young QBs on that timetable.

By virtue of his accomplishments, Jackson’s cap number will spike from $3MM in 2021 to $23.1MM in 2022. The sides began negotiations in April of last year, and Jackson said last May he wanted to be a Raven for the rest of his career. He is positioned to approach Patrick Mahomes‘ $45MM-per-year accord, though this is rather an interesting negotiation due to Jackson’s skillset. Although other mobile quarterbacks have signed big-ticket extensions since Mahomes’ contract came to pass, none reside in Jackson’s league regarding run-game usage. That adds a key wrinkle here regarding the potential length of Jackson’s prime. Jackson’s 615 carries since 2018 pace the quarterback field by nearly 200 in that span, compiling that total despite not taking over as Baltimore’s starter until midway through his rookie year and missing five games in 2021.

The 2019 MVP has established himself as one of the NFL’s top QBs, though the Ravens were only able to win one playoff game during one of the best bargain periods in modern NFL history. Jackson will no longer reside as a bargain in 2022, and the Ravens will have the franchise tag at their disposal in 2023.

Release Candidate: Ravens OT Alejandro Villanueva

February 27th, 2022 at 10:12pm CST by Ely Allen

In the week before the 2021 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens gave in to the wishes of Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and traded him away to the Chiefs. This trade left a hole on the Ravens’ offensive line opposite All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley. To address this issue, the Ravens signed Alejandro Villanueva, a free agent whom the Steelers felt ready to move on from.

After not falling in love with any of the tackles the Draft had to offer at their position in the early rounds, Baltimore opted for a stopgap solution, signing Villanueva to a two-year deal worth $14MM. Villanueva had performed admirably over his sevens years in Pittsburgh, but was never really considered an elite tackle. His best years saw him make consecutive Pro Bowls in the 2017 and 2018 NFL seasons.

As a Raven, Villanueva did his job, and then was asked to do more. After four years of starting at left tackle as a Steeler, Villanueva struggled initially when asked to fill in at right tackle. He got to go back to his more natural position after ankle surgery sidelined Stanley for the all but one game of the 2021 season.

Villanueva had an up and down year. Often Villanueva’s age showed during some rough outings, but the 33-year-old showed some resiliency, playing through some discomfort knowing that another absence for the injury-devastated Ravens could spell disaster. He seemed to find his footing with time, though, playing a pretty good stretch of football to end the season.

But was Villanueva’s performance in 2021 worthy of a $9.25MM cap hit in 2022? Likely not. The Ravens will hope for a strong return for Stanley and they signed Ja’Wuan James to a low $9MM, two-year contract knowing that he likely would be out with a torn Achilles tendon for much of the 2021 season. The likeliest scenario sees Baltimore cutting Villanueva loose to rely on a combination of Stanley and James to bookend the offensive line. The Ravens also recently signed utility offensive lineman Patrick Mekari to a three-year extension. The former undrafted free agent has started at all three offensive line positions for Baltimore and could continue to fill in at right tackle until the next franchise tackle shows up.

Baltimore could also opt to address the position in the 2022 NFL Draft. While, with the 14th overall pick, the Ravens are not in a position to take one of the Draft’s more exciting tackle prospects like NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu or Alabama’s Evan Neal, if Mississippi State’s Charles Cross were to fall to Baltimore, the Ravens, who are known for drafting for value over fit, would likely find it hard to pass on Cross’s potential. Cross, who ranks as the 8th best Draft prospect on The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s Top 100, impresses many evaluators, but, reportedly, hasn’t convinced the entire league that he’s a top ten draft pick. If the Ravens were to trade back later into the first round, another common move by the draft-savvy franchise, they could find smaller school prospects like Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning or Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann falling into their laps. They could even wait until their second-round or third-round selections come up and opt to take a flyer on Minnesota’s massive Daniel Faalele or Ohio State’s Nicholas Petit-Frere, respectively.

Regardless, most paths that make sense for Baltimore don’t entail the team stomaching a $9.25MM cap hit for a tackle that struggled much of the year for them. Turning 34 at the beginning of the 2022 season, Villanueva could save the Ravens the trouble and simply retire. Whether retired or released, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we don’t see Villanueva in purple and black next season.

Steelers Continue Interviews To Replace GM Colbert

February 26th, 2022 at 6:57pm CST by Ely Allen

With the announcement that general manager Kevin Colbert will be stepping down after the 2022 NFL Draft, the Steelers have been working to find his eventual replacement. Today the team tweeted out three more names that interviewed for the position this week: Ravens’ director of player personnel Joe Hortiz, 49ers’ director of player personnel Ran Carthon, and Eagles’ vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team has also interviewed their vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan, someone we had mentioned as a candidate but had not yet reported as interviewed. Schefter also listed the team’s pro scouting director Brandon Hunt as a candidate who had been interviewed. This is the first time we’ve seen Hunt’s name mentioned in the conversations to replace Colbert.

To date Pittsburgh has interviewed 12 candidates, not including ESPN analyst Louis Riddick who was reportedly scheduled to interview for the position earlier this month.

With two months until the Draft, the Steelers appear in no hurry to make a decision. They will likely continue to take their time evaluating their prospects. Be sure to follow along with the latest on our 2022 NFL General Manager Search Tracker.

Chiefs Monitoring Packers’ Za’Darius Smith?

February 26th, 2022 at 3:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers have said they will not bring Za’Darius Smith back at his current cap number. Unless the team plans to add money to future caps via a void years-driven restructure, Green Bay will need to work out a new contract with its Pro Bowl edge rusher.

The prospect of Smith becoming a Packers cap casualty also looms. If that happens, the Chiefs are expected to pursue the veteran outside linebacker, according to Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com. Kansas City has its own cap-casualty candidate in Frank Clark, who is on the suspension radar after two gun-related arrests in 2021, and midseason trade acquisition Melvin Ingram is on track for free agency.

Kansas City has recent experience revamping its pass rush under Andy Reid, having disbanded its Justin Houston–Dee Ford setup to bring in Clark in 2019. Clark has enjoyed successful spurts but has not lived up to the $20.8MM-per-year extension he inked in 2019. Clark totaled just 4.5 sacks in 14 games last season. The Chiefs should not be expected to carry Clark’s $26.3MM cap charge on their books in 2022, especially with a suspension on the radar. Kansas City could save nearly $20MM by designating Clark as a post-June 1 cut.

The Chiefs’ 31 sacks ranked 29th last season, though Smith would be an interesting addition given his age (30 in September) and injury-marred 2021. A back injury sidelined Smith for 16 games last season. The ex-Raven totaled 26 sacks from 2019-20, making the Pro Bowl in each season, and was effective upon return in the Packers’ divisional-round game. Still, his value likely took a hit after back surgery sidelined him for nearly the entire season.

A return to Baltimore could also be in play for Smith, per Pauline, but it may take an underwhelming market to make that happen. The Ravens frequently let edges walk in free agency, rather than dole out big money to retain vets at the position. Pernell McPhee found his way back to Baltimore after injuries slowed him elsewhere, but Smith’s market — if he is, in fact, released — likely will not reach that level. Indeed, Pauline adds Smith should expect to generate extensive interest if cut.

Green Bay continues to move down toward the salary cap, but the team still does not know Aaron Rodgers‘ plans and may need to carve out an extra $20MM for a Davante Adams franchise tag. The team restructured Smith’s contract to create space last year, creating his current untenable cap charge ($27.7MM) and irking Smith in the process.

Bengals Eyeing C Bradley Bozeman In Free Agency?

February 25th, 2022 at 9:55am CST by Adam La Rose

It’s no secret that the Bengals will be aiming to upgrade their offensive line this offseason. It appears one of their targets could be Ravens center Bradley Bozeman, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link).

Wilson notes that Cincinnati is one of “multiple NFL teams” that could be in competition for Bozeman if he reaches the open market. The 27-year-old’s rookie deal is set to expire in March, which has him well positioned to cash in this offseason.

A two-time national champion with Alabama, Bozeman was a sixth-round pick of the Ravens in 2018. He established himself as a full-time starter in 2019, the first of two straight campaigns occupying the left guard spot. He shifted to his natural center position this past year, and delivered the best play of his career to date. In 16 games, he committed one penalty and surrendered three sacks according to PFF, which assigned him an overall grade of 73.3.

The Bengals ranked third in the league with 55 sacks allowed; while the Ravens were actually one of the two teams above them on that list, Bozeman could still represent a consistent presence along the interior. Current Bengals starter Trey Hopkins is 30, and has one year remaining on his current contract with a scheduled cap hit of $7.1MM. Releasing him would save Cincinnati just under $6MM, clearing up room to go after Bozeman, or perhaps fellow center Ryan Jensen.

While Bozeman isn’t likely to command the type of contract that Jensen will, he is younger and should have plenty of free agent suitors. The Ravens, for their part, have expressed a desire to re-sign him, as part of their general aim to bolster the offensive front. They are facing a tight salary cap situation, tough, and also have fellow 2018 draftee DeShon Elliott to re-sign, not to mention a long-term deal to be worked out with quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Coaching Notes: Ravens, Colts, Bills, Browns

February 24th, 2022 at 10:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Ken Norton Jr. is heading to the NCAA. The long-time coach is expected to join UCLA as their new linebackers coach, reports Bruce Feldman of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Norton Jr. started his coaching career with USC, but he’s been in the NFL since 2010. After winning three Super Bowl rings as a player, Norton Jr. added another championship to his resume as the Seahawks linebackers coach. After five seasons in Seattle, Norton Jr. was defensive coordinator for three years with the Raiders and four years with the Seahawks (second stint).

Norton Jr. was let go by Seattle following the 2021 campaign. Now, he’ll be joining Chip Kelly’s staff in Los Angeles.

More coaching notes:

The Ravens announced that they’ve officially promoted Anthony Weaver to be their assistant head coach/defensive line coach. Weaver had a long coaching stint with the Texans, culminating in him serving as their defensive coordinator in 2020. The 41-year-old joined the Ravens last year as their defensive line coach/run game coordinator.
Former NFL safety Mike Mitchell is joining the Colts staff as an assistant secondary coach, according to Stephen Holder of The Athletic (on Twitter). Mitchell had a 10-year playing career, including a one-year stint with Indianapolis. The Colts are also hiring Nate Ollie as their defensive line coach, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter). Following two seasons with the Eagles, Ollie spent last season as the Jets assistant defensive line coach.
Bills secondary coach John Butler got a promotion, adding the role of defensive passing game coordinator to his title, according to Wilson. The veteran has spent the past four seasons as the secondary coach in Buffalo. The Bills also confirmed a number of additional hires, including Kyle Shurmur (defensive quality control coach), Nick Lacy (strength and conditioning assistant coach), Marcus West (assistant defensive line coach), Jaylon Finner (defensive quality control coach), Cory Harkey (assistant special teams coach), and Austin Gund (fellowship coach).
The Browns are expected to promote offensive assistant T.C. McCartney to tight ends coach, according to Wilson (on Twitter). The 32-year-old has bounced around the NFL a bit during his coaching journey. After spending the 2019 campaign as the Broncos quarterbacks coach, McCartney spent the 2020 season as an offensive assistant on the Browns.

Load More Posts