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Texans CB Ronald Darby Retires

June 2nd, 2025 at 2:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

Another retirement decision has been made today. Cornerback Ronald Darby is the latest player who has elected to end his NFL career.

Darby has informed the Texans he is hanging up his cleats, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The 31-year-old signed with Houston in free agency this March. That one-year, $2.5MM pact set him up to offer an experienced presence in the team’s secondary; now though, that will no longer be the case.

The Texans have Derek Stingley Jr. in place for years to come after working out a $30MM-per-year extension with him this offseason. 2024 second-rounder Kamari Lassiter is also in the fold for 2025 and beyond, while Houston added Jaylin Smith in the third round of this year’s draft. That trio will be leaned on with Darby now no longer set to play a depth role this season.

A second-round pick in 2016, Darby handled full-time starting duties right away with the Bills. The Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up was traded to the Eagles after two seasons in Buffalo, and that move paved the way for a three-year Philadelphia stint. During that time, Darby battled injuries but operated as a starter when healthy. He was a member of the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII-winning team from 2017.

Another season as a first-team cover man took place in 2020 in Washington. Darby continued to bounce around the NFL during the latter stages of his career, one which also sent him to Denver (2021-22), Baltimore (2023) and Jacksonville (2024). The Florida State product never landed a Pro Bowl invitation or received an All-Pro honor, but he operated as a key defender and posted double-digit pass deflections five times in his career.

In total, Darby played 124 combined regular and postseason games. Nearly all of those were starts, and he handled a defensive snap share of at least 74% for all but one of his 10 NFL campaigns. Darby will depart the league with roughly $42.5MM in career earnings.

NFL Front Office Updates: Ravens, Jets, Eagles, Raiders

June 1st, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Ely Allen

The Ravens announced a number of promotions in their front office this weekend, per team editorial director Ryan Mink, with four new positions in the scouting department and two more in analytics.

In the scouting department, we saw Bobby Vega elevated from national scout to senior personnel executive. Vega started his career as a player personnel intern for two months before landing a scouting assistant role in Cleveland. Over 13 years with the Browns, Vega moved up the ladder to college scout, national scout, and eventually director of college scouting. In 2018, he reunited with Baltimore, spending seven years as a college scout before moving into his most recent role for the last two years.

Vega’s role will reportedly be filled by two staffers, Brandon Berning and Chas Stallard. Berning has been with the Ravens since 2015 after shorts stints with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, the MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers, the University of Wisconsin football team, and the Giants. He most recently served as the team’s midwest/southwest area scout. Stallard joined the Ravens in 2018 as a player personnel assistant and most recently served as Baltimore’s southwest area scout.

Lastly, in the scouting department, Terrell Parker will become the team’s central area scout after serving a year as pro scout & salary cap analyst. He worked two internships with the team in 2018 and 2019 before getting hired as a player personnel assistant and moving up to scouting and salary cap analyst then elevated again to his most recent role.

In the analytics department, James Oncea has been promoted from football systems manager to director of football systems. He started with the team in 2021 as a football systems developer. Samantha Lazar also moves up in Baltimore’s analytics group. She started with the Ravens two years ago as a quantitative analyst and has been promoted to senior quantitative analyst.

Here are a few other staff updates from other teams around the NFL:

  • The Jets also made recent additions to their scouting and analytics departments. Per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, JaLun Morris has been hired as a scout. After time at UAB and Alabama, Morris breached the NFL ranks in Seattle before spending three years as a player personnel assistant for the Raiders. ESPN’s Seth Walder also tells us that Arjun Menon has been promoted to football analytics assistant. Menon had been working an internship with the team after his time as a data analyst on the championship-winning Michigan Wolverines team in 2023.
  • Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com tells us that Ryan Myers is being promoted to director of college scouting for the Eagles. Myers has been in Philadelphia since 2013 after seven years with the 49ers, as well. Before that, he worked in the Canadian Football League, United Football League, Arena Football League, and the NFL league office. After serving in several college and pro scouting roles over his first five years with the Eagles, Myers spent four years as west coast area scout and three as assistant director of college scouting.
  • Lastly, the Raiders have hired Andrew Fedele to work in the role of manager of football data science and engineering, per Seth Walder of ESPN. Fedele had previously been working with the Jaguars as senior manager of strategic research and development. Before coming to the NFL, Fedele worked analytics for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA.

Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton Expected To Become NFL’s Highest-Paid Safety

May 31st, 2025 at 7:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Plenty of time remains for Kyle Hamilton and the Ravens to work out an extension. The All-Pro safety expectedly had his fifth-year option picked up earlier this spring.

As a result of that move, Hamilton is on the books through 2026. The option year is valued at $18.6MM, but a long-term accord will check in at a much higher rate. Indeed, as ESPN’s Jamison Hensley writes, Hamilton is expected to become the league’s highest-paid safety whenever his extension is worked out.

After operating on a part-time basis during his rookie season, the Notre Dame product took on a starting role in 2023. Hamilton emerged as a foundational member of Baltimore’s defense that year, totaling four interceptions, 13 pass deflections and 10 tackles for loss. Those figures helped earn him first-team All-Pro acclaim and led to high expectations for this past campaign.

Hamilton endured a statistical regression in some categories in 2024, although his 107 tackles set a new career high en route to a second straight Pro Bowl nod. At the age of 24, he represents a key member of the Ravens’ secondary now but also for the foreseeable future. His second contract will no doubt reflect that, although a new pact may not be in place by the start of the coming campaign. Baltimore has other extension priorities, including fellow 2022 first-rounder Tyler Linderbaum.

The Ravens declined their center’s fifth-year option, leaving him on track for free agency next spring as things stand. Linderbaum – just like Hamilton – is a strong candidate for a new deal, but the timing of his may be accelerated by the option decision. In any event, Hamilton will be joined by first-round rookie Malaki Starks as a safety starter while remaining a critical member of Baltimore’s defense in 2025.

When Antoine Winfield Jr. inked his Buccaneers extension last offseason, he became the first safety to surpass $20MM in average annual earnings. That deal also marked the first time in which a safety was the league’s top earner amongst defensive backs. The cornerback market has since surged to $30MM per year, and Winfield has already been surpassed at the top of the pecking order for safeties. Kerby Joseph secured $21.25MM on average with his Lions extension last month.

It would come as no surprise if Hamilton were to surpass that figure whenever his next contract takes shape. In the meantime, the Ravens will look into extensions for Linderbaum and – perhaps as early as this offseason – Lamar Jackson. Those deals will offer more financial clarity on where the team stands entering the 2026 offseason. By the time it ends, Hamilton will likely account for a sizable portion of Baltimore’s finances over the course of several years.

Ravens WR Zay Flowers Changes Agents

May 30th, 2025 at 3:54pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Ravens star wide receiver Zay Flowers is signing with WIN Sports Group, a new agency recently launched by Patrick Whitesell, the former co-founder and executive chairman of Endeavor (formerly William Morris Endeavor).

Ironically, Flowers is leaving Loyalty Above All (LAA) and its founder and CEO, Zac Hiller. The former Boston College standout was the first player represented by LAA to be selected in the first round.

Whitesell’s WIN client list includes Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, and 49ers defense end Nick Bosa. All three set records for their positions with their second contracts.

Flowers’ production in his first two years doesn’t merit that kind of raise, and he isn’t extension-eligible until next offseason, when the Ravens will also have to make a decision on his fifth-year option for the 2027 season. His 2024 Pro Bowl nod means that his fifth-year option will be equivalent to the 2026 transition tag, projected to be $24.7MM by OverTheCap. Another original-ballot Pro Bowl would raise his 2027 salary to the equivalent of the 2026 franchise tag, which is expected to eclipse $28MM.

The Ravens want to sign Lamar Jackson to another extension, which would lower his $74.5MM cap hits in 2026 and 2027. That would allow them to afford a fifth-year option and a potential long-term extension for Flowers while also retaining 2022 first-rounders Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum.

Ravens Sign Round 1 S Malaki Starks

May 29th, 2025 at 4:59pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Ravens first-round safety Malaki Starks has signed his four-year, fully guaranteed rookie deal, per a team announcement.

Starks, the No. 27 overall pick in April’s draft, will receive $16.58MM on his first NFL contract including a $8.7MM signing bonus, according to KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson. The Ravens also have a fifth-year option they can exercise in 2028 that will keep Starks under contract through 2029.

The former Georgia Bulldog was already expected to have an impactful rookie year as a versatile third safety in defensive coordinator Zach Orr‘s scheme. An Achilles injury to 2024 starter Ar’Darius Washington will likely press Starks into a full-time role, something head coach John Harbaugh mentioned after Wednesday’s practice.

“It’s a lot on his plate right now,” said Harbaugh. “He’s going to have to step up, but that’s why we drafted him in the first round.” The longtime head coach added that he had yet to see Starks make a mistake on the field.

Having Starks on a cost-controlled rookie contract for the next four years should allow the Ravens to make Hamilton the highest-paid safety in the NFL sometime in the next year. The team picked up the 2022 first-rounder’s fifth-year option, ensuring he will stay in Baltimore for at least two more seasons, but general manager Eric DeCosta‘s history of rewarding his best players suggests that Hamilton will be a Raven for a long time. That will allow him to mentor Starks as the two develop chemistry with the intention of becoming the best safety duo in the NFL.

Ravens Sign DT John Jenkins

May 29th, 2025 at 8:58am CST by Ely Allen

MAY 29: Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic) Jenkins will join the team after June 1. The veteran will thus be able to participate in many of Baltimore’s OTAs in addition to mandatory minicamp (which runs from June 17-19).

MAY 16: For seven of the last nine years, the Ravens have had a stout nose tackle in Michael Pierce plugging up the middle of the defense. Just two months after the 32-year-old retired, Baltimore will welcome a new veteran to man the middle. The Ravens announced today that John Jenkins will join the team on a one-year deal.

At 35 years old, Jenkins has played in the NFL for 12 years. Originally a third-round pick out of Georgia, Jenkins very quickly became a main contributor on the Saints defensive line. His play plateaued a bit over the next two years, resulting in New Orleans drafting Sheldon Rankins in the first round, benching Jenkins, and ultimately, waiving him in the final year of his rookie deal. He signed a few days later with the Seahawks but only appeared in two games for the rest of the year.

After that, Jenkins bounced around the league, playing one-year deals with the Bears, Giants, Dolphins, and Bears a second time. He then spent two more years in Miami before signing with the Raiders in 2023. In his first 10 years of NFL play, Jenkins only started 30 games, 22 of which came on his rookie contract with the Saints while the remaining eight were spread over seven seasons. In Las Vegas for the past two years, Jenkins started all 34 of the Raiders’ contests.

Jenkins has never been much of a pass rusher, only collecting 4.5 sacks over his 12-year career. His best seasons, though, have been highlighted with impressive run defense. His play has dipped a bit in recent years as his snap count has increased, but luckily, he’ll return to more of a rotational role in Baltimore.

This year will see the Ravens return their main three defensive linemen from 2024. Nnamdi Madubuike led the group in playing time last season, followed closely by Travis Jones. Broderick Washington is the third contributor who saw more playing time than Pierce last year. Jenkins will likely slide in for Pierce in the rotation, and after playing 595 snaps in 2023 and 606 snaps in 2024 for the Raiders, covering Pierce’s 254 snaps from last year should be no problem.

Ravens S Ar’Darius Washington Aiming For Late-Season Return

May 28th, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Ar’Darius Washington‘s availability for the 2025 campaign was dealt a major blow recently when he suffered an Achilles tear. The four-year Ravens safety aims to be able to play at some point this season, though.

When speaking to the media on Wednesday, head coach John Harbaugh said (via The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec) Washington suffered a clean Achilles tear. Surgery has already taken place, and the lengthy rehab process associated with the injury has begun as a result. Harbaugh added that Washington hopes to return to action in November or December.

Given the nature of Achilles tears and their associated recovery timelines, it would come as little surprise if the former UDFA were to be sidelined for the entire campaign. Getting Washington back in any capacity in time for the stretch run and/or the postseason would of course be a welcomed development for the Ravens. Midway through the 2024 season, adjustments on defense resulted in him taking on a full-time starting role.

Taking over from Marcus Williams, Washington appeared in every game last year and made 11 total starts. His 727 regular season snaps on defense came after he totaled just 145 over the course of his first three years in the league. The 25-year-old helped stabilize a struggling Baltimore pass defense when on the field, recording a pair of interceptions and eight pass deflections. Washington was retained via an RFA tender this offseason.

That move set him up to remain a key member of the Ravens’ secondary for one more year before landing a notable deal on the open market next spring. Instead, much of the coming campaign will be focused on rehabbing his injury; any playing time in 2025 would obviously help to rebuild his free agent value to an extent. At least a rotational role should be in store whenever the TCU product is back to full health.

The Ravens still have All-Pro Kyle Hamilton in place at the safety spot, but veteran Eddie Jackson was released midway through last season and Williams was cut in March. Those moves, while expected, created a notable vacancy at the position in advance of the draft. The team’s first pick was used on Malaki Starks, and the Georgia product is in line to operate as a starter right away with Washington set to miss at least some of the 2025 season. If the latter can return as he hopes, though, Baltimore’s defense will receive a boost during the winter.

Ravens To Hold LG Competition

May 26th, 2025 at 12:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

Four of the five starters from the Ravens’ 2024 offensive line are still in place for the coming campaign. As expected, though, Patrick Mekari departed in free agency.

The former UDFA – who saw time at all five O-line spots over the course of his Baltimore tenure – helped his value with a strong left guard showing last year. As a result, he secured a three-year Jaguars contract which includes $22.5MM in guarantees. The Ravens thus enter OTAs with a first-team vacancy up front.

During free agency (in which veteran swingman Josh Jones also departed) the Ravens were quiet with respect to additions along the offensive line. That leaves Baltimore’s incumbent blockers as well as the members of the team’s rookie class to compete to replace Mekari. To no surprise, Baltimore’s preferred option from last season looks to have the early lead.

Andrew Vorhees finds himself as the frontrunner for the 2025 starting gig at this point, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes (subscription required). The former seventh-rounder’s draft stock took a hit when he suffered an ACL tear during the 2023 Combine, an injury which sidelined him for his entire rookie campaign. Vorhees was healthy by this time last year, however, and he saw plenty of first-team reps at left guard through the summer. In Week 1, he joined Daniel Faalele as a starting guard.

An ankle injury suffered in Week 3 took Vorhees out of the lineup, though, and he never returned. The ailment led to Mekari moving inside after rotating with Roger Rosengarten at right tackle; the latter handled RT duties on a full-time basis after the Vorhees injury. That can be expected to continue in 2025, and Faalele’s performance on the inside (after starting his career as a tackle) has earned him an extended look as a starter.

Given Vorhees’ lack of experience – 268 regular season snaps on offense – he is far from certain to land another Week 1 gig. Baltimore also has Ben Cleveland in place after he re-signed on a one-year deal. The 26-year-old has made 54 appearances with the Ravens, but that total only includes seven starts (none of which came in 2024). Cleveland will nonetheless receive another opportunity to secure a starting spot this summer.

Three of the Ravens’ 11 draft picks from last month were used on offensive linemen. Carson Vinson is in position to compete for the swing tackle role, but third-rounder Emery Jones could (when healthy) look to start at left guard as a rookie. One of Jones’ LSU teammates – Garrett Dellinger – was drafted by Baltimore in the seventh round, although a depth or practice squad spot is of course a more realistic expectation in his case. Nevertheless, several in-house candidates will be in place to replace Mekari atop the depth chart.

The Most Lucrative ILB Contract In Each Franchise’s History

May 21st, 2025 at 10:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers have again made Fred Warner the NFL’s highest-paid off-ball linebacker. The franchise did this in 2021 as well. A team that has employed All-Pro NaVorro Bowman and Hall of Famer Patrick Willis over the past 15 years, the 49ers have spent on the high end to fortify this position. Other clubs, however, have been far more hesitant to unload significant cash to staff this job.

The $20MM-per-year linebacker club consists of only two players (Warner, Roquan Smith), but only four surpass $15MM per year presently. Last year saw the Jaguars and Jets (Foye Oluokun, C.J. Mosley) trim their priciest ILBs’ salaries in exchange for guarantees, and the Colts did not make it too far with Shaquille Leonard‘s big-ticket extension. Although some contracts handed out this offseason created optimism about this stubborn market, franchises’ pasts here do not depict a trend of paying second-level defenders.

Excluding rookie contracts and arranged by guaranteed money, here is (via OvertheCap) the richest contract each franchise has given to an off-ball ‘backer:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Milano’s first extension (in 2021) brought more in overall value and fully guaranteed money, but the 2023 pact provided more in total guarantees

Carolina Panthers

Shaq Thompson‘s 2019 extension brought a higher AAV ($13.54MM), but Kuechly’s included more in guarantees

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Dre Greenlaw‘s 2025 contract (three years, $31.5MM) brought a higher AAV but a lower guarantee

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Azeez Al-Shaair checks in atop franchise history in AAV ($11.33MM) but fell short of McKinney’s in guarantees

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Rolando McClain‘s 2010 rookie contract, agreed to in the final year before the rookie-scale system debuted, checked in higher in terms of guarantees ($22.83MM)

Los Angeles Chargers

Kenneth Murray‘s rookie contract (a fully guaranteed $12.97MM) narrowly eclipses this deal

Los Angeles Rams

Mark Barron‘s 2016 contract brought a higher AAV ($9MM) but a lower guarantee

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Jerod Mayo; December 17, 2011: Five years, $48.5MM ($27MM guaranteed)

Robert Spillane‘s $11MM AAV leads the way at this position in New England, but the recently dismissed HC’s contract brought more guaranteed money

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Blake Martinez‘s free agency deal included a higher AAV ($10.25MM) but a lower guaranteee

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Warner secured more guaranteed money on this extension than he did on his five-year 2021 deal ($40.5MM guaranteed)

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Jamin Davis‘ fully guaranteed rookie contract brought a higher guarantee ($13.79MM)

Ravens, Derrick Henry Agree On Extension

May 19th, 2025 at 2:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

MAY 19: Henry’s deal is now official, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes it includes a signing bonus of $11.75MM. The pact also contains $1MM roster bonuses for the next two years, with 2025’s guaranteed. Henry’s base salaries for this year ($1.26MM) and next ($1.3MM) are fully locked in, as is a $9.7MM option bonus for the 2026 campaign.

A decision will need to be made by the Ravens ahead of the 2027 season, one in which Henry’s $11MM salary is not guaranteed. When speaking publicly on Monday after signing the deal, he declined to say whether or not he intends to continue playing by that point (h/t ESPN’s Jamison Hensley), but for at least two more years Henry’s future is assured.

MAY 14: The Ravens’ rumored Derrick Henry extension will come to pass. After a dominant Baltimore debut, extension discussions began. Weeks later, the All-Pro back is now signed beyond 2025.

Baltimore will extend Henry on a two-year, $30MM deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. Henry will see $25MM fully guaranteed. Delivering a monster age-30 season, Henry is now signed through 2027. This deal certainly puts the former Titans star on track to finish his career as a Raven.

Previously attached to a two-year, $16MM deal, Henry entered the 2024 free agency period with mileage concerns. Those helped keep his previously full guarantee ($9MM) low. As Saquon Barkley ($26MM) and D’Andre Swift ($14MM) received far more lucrative at-signing numbers last year, Henry did not receive comparable interest. The Ravens had targeted the likely Hall of Fame-bound back before the 2023 trade deadline, however, and they kept that interest in pairing him with Lamar Jackson a year later. Henry rewarded the AFC North team, helping it claim another division title.

Henry became only the second running back this century to gain at least 1,900 yards and fail to land a first-team All-Pro nod, joining ex-Packer Ahman Green (2003). It took a historic Barkley stampede to deny Henry that. Henry, however, led the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns during his 1,921-yard rampage.

After the Eagles rewarded last year’s first-team All-Pro RB with a deal that included $36MM fully guaranteed, the Ravens will give their bulldozing starter a guarantee near the top tier at the position. Henry’s $25MM ranks behind only Barkley’s number and Ashton Jeanty‘s rookie contract among locked-in money at the position. It provides the 10th-year veteran considerable security for 2026, providing a clear sign the former Heisman winner will play beyond this season.

This Ravens decision represents a tremendous commitment to a player who is 31 and has logged 2,355 career carries — most among any back on a current roster. Henry has a 639-carry edge on Joe Mixon, who sits in second among active RBs. Henry has now secured two big-ticket extensions during his career. This one, despite Henry’s age, nearly eclipses his 2020 Titans accord in guarantees. That deal, agreed to at the 2020 franchise tag deadline, brought $25.5MM locked in.

Though, Henry needed to sign for four years to secure that number. The Ravens are authorizing this lofty guarantee over two based on his status as one of the most reliable RBs in NFL history. Henry has six 1,000-yard seasons on his resume; last year’s showing checked in nearly 400 yards clear of every non-2020 slate for the former rushing champ. Since he gave way to DeMarco Murray early in his career, all six have come since 2018.

Joining Barkley in making a significant difference for his team as a 2024 free agent signing, Henry will have a chance to move the Ravens back to a Super Bowl over the next two seasons. Baltimore is still taking a risk by making such a lucrative 2026 commitment for a player at Henry’s age, but the team is betting on the durable — save for a 2021 foot injury — back continuing to pound away. This durability has allowed Henry to accumulate more than $74MM during his career; Wednesday’s agreement will push that number to the $100MM doorstep.

Precise details of Henry’s new contract are still being reported, but it should reduce his 2025 cap hit, which was originally just under $13MM. That will give the Ravens some more breathing room with the salary cap as they finish signing their 2025 draft class and make their annual summer veteran additions, which could include a safety after Ar’Darius Washington‘s torn Achilles.

As for cashflow, Henry will received $14MM in 2025 and $11MM in 2026, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, representing all of his fully guaranteed money He’ll be due another $12MM in cash in 2027, which is essentially a team option year since none of his salary is guaranteed.

By then, Henry will be 33 years old, far past the retirement age for most NFL running backs. If he and the Ravens have captured their elusive Super Bowl win by then, he could hang up the cleats and start preparing his Hall of Fame acceptance speech. If not, he may run it back in Baltimore for one last shot at a Lombardi before he retires.

Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.

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