Baltimore Ravens Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Ravens Sign John Harbaugh To Extension

March 29th, 2022 at 2:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens will continue their John Harbaugh partnership for a while. The rumored extension for the longtime Baltimore HC came to fruition Tuesday. Steve Bisciotti announced Harbaugh has signed a three-year re-up, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (on Twitter).

This is Harbaugh’s fifth extension since he joined the Ravens in 2008. Harbaugh, 59, was entering a contract year; he is now signed through the 2025 season. With Sean Payton moving on from his Saints post, Harbaugh will enter the season as the NFL’s third-longest-tenured HC.

While the Ravens stumbled down the stretch last season, tumbling out of the playoff picture thanks to a six-game losing streak, Harbaugh has been one of the NFL’s steadier leaders since taking over. Baltimore has ventured to nine playoff brackets under Harbaugh, who has taken the team to three AFC championship games and secured the franchise’s second Super Bowl title nine years ago. He will enter the 2022 season with 137 wins (27th all time) and a .609 win percentage (33rd all time).

Baltimore’s only two losing seasons under Harbaugh came when his starting quarterback missed significant time. Prior to Lamar Jackson missing games to close out this past season, Joe Flacco suffered a torn ACL during the 2015 campaign. During the Flacco-to-Jackson transition year, uncertainty emerged regarding Harbaugh’s Baltimore future. Jackson’s late surge in that 2018 season helped Harbaugh off the hot seat, and he has not been connected to potentially losing his job since.

With Harbaugh locked down, focus can now shift to Jackson’s contract. Harbaugh has repeatedly said the former MVP will land a long-term extension from the Ravens, but no reports have indicated the sides are particularly close on a deal.

Ravens Submit Offer To LB Bobby Wagner

March 28th, 2022 at 4:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 28: The Ravens have made an offer for Wagner, one Josina Anderson of USA Today notes the team believes is “very competitive” (Twitter link) compared to the Rams’ effort. Baltimore is pitching Wagner on being a key cog for a defense already housing notable veterans, a group that now includes Marcus Williams.

MARCH 25: Bobby Wagner continues to survey an active market. After his Rams visit, the future Hall of Fame linebacker trekked to Baltimore for a Ravens meeting Friday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

The Ravens possess “high interest” in Wagner, per Fowler. Wagner has been connected to mostly NFC teams thus far. The Rams, 49ers, Cardinals, Broncos and Cowboys have been linked to the 10-year veteran, though Dallas — despite Wagner and Dan Quinn‘s offseason conversations — is not expected to be a top player here. The Broncos have been mentioned as a suitor as well, with Russell Wilson attempting to recruit his longtime teammate.

Baltimore and Los Angeles reside next to one another in terms of cap space, with the Ravens holding just more than $10MM and the Rams sitting at barely $8MM. Neither team has a notable veteran off-ball linebacker contract on its books. Josh Bynes, a 12-game Baltimore starter last season, is a free agent. The Rams are not big on veteran inside linebacker contracts, given their big-ticket deals at higher-priority positions, but Wagner’s pedigree has GM Les Snead considering an exception.

Wagner, 31, has made the past eight Pro Bowls and is one of the few six-time All-Pros in linebacker annals. He is one shy of Raven cornerstone Ray Lewis‘ seven, though Wagner reached six quicker than the first-ballot Hall of Famer did. The Seahawks made him a cap casualty hours after trading Wilson, severing ties with the franchise’s Super Bowl cornerstones. Despite missing a game, Wagner recorded a career-high 170 tackles last season. The longtime Seattle middle ‘backer has missed just three games in the past seven seasons.

The Ravens devoted a sizable chunk of their offseason funds to Marcus Williams, who signed a five-year deal worth $70MM, and are targeting defensive linemen. But gauging Wagner’s market certainly is not out of character here. The Ravens have not been shy about acquiring proven veteran defenders under Eric DeCosta, having added 30-something Pro Bowlers in Calais Campbell and Justin Houston in recent years and signed ex-Wagner teammate Earl Thomas.

Ravens Targeting Defensive Linemen

March 25th, 2022 at 9:58am CST by Adam La Rose

While the Ravens have already made a notable move in free agency with the addition of safety Marcus Williams, they have needs along the defensive front. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, d-line is the next area of focus for the team through the remainder of free agency.

Fowler notes that Calais Campbell – who is an unrestricted free agent – could still return to the Ravens. On the other hand, though, he reports that there is “leaguewide interest” in the 35-year-old. In two seasons in Baltimore, Campbell has recorded 77 tackles and 5.5 sacks. After nine seasons with the Ravens, nose tackle Brandon Williams is also a UFA.

Fowler names Michael Brockers as a potential Baltimore target, given that he could be a cap casualty. Brockers looked to be signing with the Ravens in 2020, but issues related to his medicals led to the deal falling through. The team then pivoted to Derek Wolfe, who had a productive first season with the team but missed all of 2021 due to injury.

As Fowler notes, help in the edge rush department is also a need for the Ravens. They looked to have a deal in place to re-unite with Za’Darius Smith, but he ultimately ended up signing with the Vikings. With most of the pass-rusher market having dried up, many expect the position to be a priority during the draft.

The Ravens currently have just under $11MM in cap space, so at least one notable signing along the front seven is possible. Given the current situation the team faces, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they make a move in the near future.

Ravens Meeting With Arden Key

March 23rd, 2022 at 8:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Arden Key tour continues. On Wednesday, the free agent defensive end will meet with the Ravens (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo).

Key, a 2018 third-round pick of the Raiders, spent three seasons with his original team, starting in ten of his 37 games. He fell out of favor over time, however, and wound up getting released last year Yannick Ngakoue and Quinton Jefferson made their way to Las Vegas.

Key stayed local, moving on to the 49ers on a one-year deal. The change of scenery served him well as he recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks, plus 22 stops, five tackles for loss, and one pass defensed while playing in all 17 games.

The Niners used Key as a supporting piece, but other teams may consider giving him a chance at the starting lineup, depending on how the rest of the offseason goes. In addition to the Ravens, the Jaguars and Lions have also checked in with Key — they likely see him as a supplement to their incoming rookie class, which will likely feature some big-name DEs.

The Ravens are also meeting with Rasheem Green today, a Seahawks free agent who is also coming off of a strong platform year.

Ravens To Meet With Rasheem Green

March 23rd, 2022 at 8:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens are set to meet with Rasheem Green (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). We haven’t heard much about Green in recent weeks, but the former Seahawks defensive lineman could be on the verge of finding a new home.

Green enjoyed a career year in 2021 with 6.5 sacks, nearly doubling his previous career total. He also added to his highlight reel by turning a blocked XP into a two-point conversion against Washington. No longer a seat warmer, Green started in 16 of his 17 games and showed himself to be one of the most impactful defenders in Seattle.

That’s the kind of production the Seahawks were hoping for when he fell to them in the third round of the 2018 draft. In his last year on campus, the USC product was deployed mostly as a defensive tackle, but he still managed ten sacks for the Trojans.

After losing much of his 2020 to injury, Green put it all together last year as he notched 34 quarterback pressures. He also proved his versatility, moving from defensive end to defensive tackle to outside linebacker whenever needed. Green won’t turn 25 until May, so teams like the Ravens believe that he has plenty of room to grow.

Ravens Re-Sign Patrick Ricard

March 21st, 2022 at 10:23am CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens are keeping one of their most unique and important players on offense. The team announced the re-signing of Patrick Ricard to a three-year deal.

Ricard, 27, has worn a number of hats during his time in Baltimore. He joined the team as a UDFA in 2017, where he established himself as an increasingly rare two-way player. The six-foot-three, 310-pounder spent time as a rotational defensive linemen, in addition to his now-familiar fullback role.

That trend of playing part-time on both sides of the ball began to change in 2019, when Ricard’s effectiveness as a fullback became more apparent. That was the first of three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances for him at the position, as his role in the team’s offense has progressively increased. In 2021, the Maine product played more than 50% of the Ravens’ offense snaps for the first time, playing exclusively with that unit for the second straight season.

Ricard has also been aligned as a tight end with more regularity in recent years. In addition to his blocking prowess, he has registered 25 catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns over the past three campaigns. Together with traditional TE Nick Boyle, Ricard has played a key role in Baltimore’s rushing success. Given the former’s injury concerns, keeping Ricard in the fold was one of the Ravens’ top offseason priorities.

Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports (on Twitter) that the contract is expected to average roughly $4MM per season. That figure would rank Ricard second in the league amongst fullbacks, behind only Kyle Juszczyk. Regardless of the exact compensation level, ‘Project Pat’ is set to remain in Baltimore for the foreseeable future.

Ravens’ Derek Wolfe Considering Retirement

March 20th, 2022 at 1:56pm CST by Adam La Rose

There is a strong possibility the Ravens’ front seven could look much different in 2022 than it did last season. On paper, one source of continuity would be defensive linemen Derek Wolfe. However, there is a chance he has already played his final game in the NFL.

According to Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun, Wolfe “said he’s considering retirement but plans to return to the field”. The reason his football future is in doubt stems from multiple injuries. The 32-year-old missed the entire 2021 campaign due to back issues. There was optimism he would be able to return to the field midway through the season, but the team placed him on IR for the second time in November.

The most pressing issue injury-wise for Wolfe is now the recovery from hip surgery he underwent in January. “We’ll see what happens with if I retire or not or if I keep playing”, he recently said. “I’m not sure yet. We’ve got to see how this hip goes”, although Shaffer’s report indicates that the aforementioned back ailment could also remain an issue into the future.

As mentioned, Wolfe does still intend to play in 2022, something he confirmed in a tweet. If so, he would provide a welcomed boost to the teams’ defensive line, which could lose fellow starters Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams in free agency. In 2021, Wolfe’s first season in Baltimore, he totalled 51 tackles, tying his career high. That performance earned him a three-year, $12MM extension last offseason.

A Super Bowl winner during his eight seasons in Denver, Wolfe apparently faces a difficult path to return to the field for a tenth season. If that doesn’t happen, the Ravens would have another hole to fill along their defensive front.

Ravens Sign DT Michael Pierce

March 17th, 2022 at 5:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Michael Pierce is returning to Baltimore. The veteran defensive tackle is signing with the Ravens, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).

Pierce will sign a three-year, $16.5MM deal with Baltimore, per Rapoport.

Pierce earned his walking papers from Minnesota earlier this week. The Vikings tried to convince Pierce to take a “moderate pay cut,” and when that didn’t happen, they tried to trade him. They couldn’t find any takers, so they ended up moving on from the defensive lineman. Pierce signed a three-year, $27MM deal with the Vikings in 2020, and he was set to have a $10.5MM cap hit in 2022. His release left behind $4MM in dead cap.

After opting out of the 2020 campaign, Pierce made his Vikings debut in 2021. He ultimately collected 20 tackles and three sacks in eight starts. He suffered an elbow injury that forced him to miss the middle chunk of the season.

Following his release from Minnesota, there were whispers that Pierce could look towards a reunion with Baltimore (via Josina Anderson on Twitter), but it was uncertain if the return of Za’Darius Smith would price the Ravens out of the sweepstakes. Ultimately, the two sides agreed to terms, and Pierce will now return to the team that took a chance on him as an undrafted free agent in 2016. The Stanford product ended up spending the first four seasons of his career with the Ravens, starting 30 of his 60 games.

Za’Darius Smith Not Signing With Ravens

March 17th, 2022 at 1:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

It seemed as though the Ravens had added another major piece to their defense by reuniting with Za’Darius Smith. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that he is in fact not signing with Baltimore (Twitter link).

It had been announced yesterday that the former Packer was coming back to Baltimore on a four-year, $35MM deal. The news came after Smith, 29, was released by Green Bay in a cost-cutting move. They had been open to keeping him at a reduced cost, but the split seemed to be mutual.

That opened the door to a reunion with Baltimore, where he had spent the first four years of his career and established himself as a productive pass rusher. Between the familiarity with the organization, and the lack of proven veterans at the position for the Ravens, the reported deal made perfect sense. Now, however the former fourth rounder will remain on the open market.

At his media availability announcing the additions of safety Marcus Williams and offensive tackle Morgan Moses, general manager Eric DeCosta didn’t confirm the Smith deal. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports that the team “felt like they had a verbal agreement” in place with Smith (Twitter link). While he adds that a deal with Baltimore is technically still possible, he states that “it seems unlikely this [situation] is salvageable”.

Smith’s decision comes one day after the edge rusher market changed dramatically. Von Miller, Chandler Jones and Uchenna Nwosu all found new homes in free agency. That, coupled with the recent trades of Khalil Mack and Yannick Ngakoue, should place Smith at the top of the list with respect to the remaining names available.

The Ravens, meanwhile, will now search for a backup plan at the position. With plenty of question marks remaining in their front seven, and limited cap space to work with, they face a much different situation than they did 24 hours ago.

Ravens To Bring Back LB Za’Darius Smith

March 16th, 2022 at 3:31pm CST by Adam La Rose

Mentioned as a possible Za’Darius Smith landing spot, the Ravens are indeed reacquiring their former pass rusher. The recently released Packer is committing to Baltimore.

The Ravens are adding Smith on a four-year, $35MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This deal is not as lucrative as the one Smith signed in Green Bay three years ago, but Schefter adds it can max out at $50MM. The 29-year-old spent the first four years of his carer with the Ravens, where he followed a familiar pattern of edge rushers gradually growing in their role on the team.

In his final season in Charm City, the former fourth round pick posted a career-high 8.5 sacks. That earned him a sizeable second contract with the Packers, where he paired with Preston Smith to form one of the league’s best pass-rushing tandems. He totalled 26 sacks in 2019 and 2020, earning him Pro Bowl nods in each of those campaigns.

However, he was limited to a single game in 2021 due to a back injury. That, coupled with the emergence of former first rounder Rashan Gary, as well as his aforementioned hefty contract, made Smith a viable release candidate. It wasn’t surprising, then, that the Packers quickly made it clear he would only be brought back at a more affordable price.

While Green Bay was willing to keep Smith at the cash value he was owed (as opposed to his much higher cap number), it seemed the parting of ways by the two sides was mutual. The team will now move forward with Gary and the recently re-signed Preston Smith at the forefront of their edge rush department. As for the Ravens, a significant hole in the front seven has been filled. Before this news, the team’s only two notable pass rushers under contract were Tyus Bowser (who tore his Achilles in the season finale) and first round rookie Odafe Oweh (who tailed off after an impressive start to the campaign).

Smith joins safety Marcus Williams as the Ravens’ second noteworthy signing on the defensive side of the ball. Not generally known for making splashes at the top of the free agent market, they have now added two major pieces to a roster which many saw as Super Bowl-caliber at the beginning of last season.

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