HEADLINES

Baltimore Ravens News & Rumors

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/23

March 15th, 2023 at 9:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s tender decisions from around the NFL:

RFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Ravens Place Low RFA Tender On QB Tyler Huntley; Team Involved In Free Agent Market

March 15th, 2023 at 4:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

Lamar Jackson is the Ravens quarterback which is drawing the most attention as the new league year officially begins, but he is not the only Baltimore quarterback facing an uncertain future. Backup Tyler Huntley is receiving the low (right of first refusal) restricted free agent tender, as noted (on Twitter) by Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

Doing so will lock him into a 2023 salary of $2.63MM, presuming he signs the tender. From now until April 21, however, the 25-year-old will be able to receive offer sheets from other teams. Signing one of them would give the Ravens seven days to match, which could force them to keep him at a more cumbersome cap number. Since Huntley was a UDFA, however, Baltimore would receive no compensation if he were to depart.

The Ravens could have used the second-round tender, valued at just over $4.3MM. That would have required a larger financial commitment, of course, but provided less of an incentive to interested teams to prepare on offer sheet. It also would have guaranteed compensation had the Utah alum elected to leave in search of a different opportunity. The likeliest outcome in this situation still remains, however, Huntley remaining with the Ravens for at least one more season.

Huntley has seen action in 13 regular season games over the past two years, filling in for Jackson following the latter’s in injuries. His play in 2021 earned him the low tender this past offseason, allowing him to remain in place in the N0. 2 role. His most notable action to date was his start in the Ravens’ wild card loss to the Bengals, in which he threw for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns and added 54 yards on the ground.

Turnovers in that contest, and generally underwhelming play in the 2022 regular season in particular, are likely to hinder the market for Huntley (though they, coupled with a multitude of other absences, allowed him to be named a Pro Bowler) and represent the ceiling of his potential. Still, his future is currently in the balance, as is that of Jackson, who is now eligible to negotiate with other teams on a new contract.

Amidst their uncertainty under center, the Ravens have been “involved” in the free agent quarterback market, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link). Specifically, he names Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett as veterans Baltimore has inquired about. They have since agreed to deals with the Buccaneers and Commanders, respectively, but other cost-effective options still remain if the team is forced to replace Jackson. Regardless of what happens at the top of the depth chart, the Ravens should still have Huntley available as a depth and spot-starter option.

Ravens To Re-Sign RB Justice Hill

March 15th, 2023 at 1:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens have been idle to date in terms of making additions on the open market, but a familiar face in their backfield will remain in place. Baltimore is re-signing running back Justice Hill, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link).

This new pact will see the 25-year-old earn $4.5MM over two years. The contract has a maximum value of $5MM, marking a notable investment given Hill’s location in the Ravens’ running back pecking order. Baltimore already has J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards as their top options at the position, and quarterback Lamar Jackson has represented another key element of their rushing attack during his time in Charm City.

As a result, Hill has only received 119 carries in three seasons. Part of that total is owing to the Achilles tear which kept him sidelined for the 2021 campaign, one in which Dobbins and Edwards both missed the season in full as well. At least one of the latter two were unavailable for much of 2022, but Hill was able to play in 15 contests. He recorded 262 scoreless yards on the ground (at an average of 5.3 per carry), adding 12 catches for 58 yards.

While the Oklahoma State product’s tenure has been limited in terms of opportunities on offense, he also has experience on special teams. Hill returned kicks as a rookie, then did so again in 2022 after wideout Devin Duvernay was lost for the season due to injury. The latter has been floated as a potential trade candidate given his inflated cap number on the final year of his rookie contract and the team’s tight financial situation. Should Duvernay be moved, Hill could be in line to handle return duties full-time.

Edwards recently agreed to lower his 2023 compensation in a move which ensures that he will remain in the fold for the coming season. With Dobbins still on his rookie contract and Hill now on the books, the Ravens will have continuity in the backfield for at least one more season as they look to continue their strong ground attack under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

Latest On Ravens, Lamar Jackson

March 14th, 2023 at 10:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

Free agency has taken over the NFL landscape this week, but one of the top storylines around the league remains the future of Lamar Jackson. Contract talks between the Ravens and the former MVP have left the parties in a stalemate, which resulted in the usage of the non-exclusive franchise tag.

Taking that route opens up the possibility of another team signing Jackson to an offer sheet, something which could not take place until tomorrow at the earliest. During the league’s 48-hour legal tampering period, teams are allowed to negotiate deals with a player’s representatives, but not the player themselves. Since Jackson has quite notably gone throughout the process of handling his next deal without an agent, he is not eligible to speak with teams other than the Ravens, who have been adamant that their goal remains a long-term deal.

Speaking of, it looks unlikely that Jackson will suddenly hire an agent. Those in league circles tell Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that the QB is unlikely to suddenly change his mind and hire representation. Those sources believe Jackson is unlikely to admit his mistake, even if hiring an agent is best for his career.

A number of teams have reportedly bowed out of any potential pursuit of the 26-year-old, who has long been thought to be seeking a fully guaranteed pact in a similar vein to the one signed by Deshaun Watson last offseason after the Browns traded for him. Baltimore’s hesitancy to match or exceed those terms (five years, $230MM) has left the two sides in their current situation.

Potential suitors are wary of offering Jackson a contract because they’d surely be in limbo while the Ravens determine how to proceed, per Rapoport (on Twitter). Ultimately, it sounds like these teams believe the QB will end up back in Baltimore, and those potential suitors have no interest in doing Baltimore’s negotiating for them. ESPN’s Dan Graziano writes that teams would rather discuss a potential trade with the Ravens after the franchise tag has been resolved, although that path would still require those suitors to eventually talk with Jackson.

Jackson recently gave us a quick look behind the curtain, revealing on Twitter that the Ravens have offered him a three-year, $133MM deal that’s fully guaranteed. As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport points out (via Twitter), Jackson preferred to take the franchise tag over that offer, and the reporter adds that the Ravens have tried a number of contract lengths to get Jackson to bite.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/14/23

March 14th, 2023 at 9:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Ravens Release DE Calais Campbell

March 13th, 2023 at 11:39am CST by Adam La Rose

During Super Bowl weekend, Calais Campbell confirmed that he would play in the 2023 season. It was expected that he would do with the Ravens, but it appears that might not be the case. Baltimore announced on Monday that the veteran defensive end has been released.

The 36-year-old has been in Baltimore since 2020, and been a key starter in the defensive line rotation. He has flirted with the possibility of retirement in recent years, but made it official last month that he would continue his storied career at least one more season. He had one year remaining on his existing contract, leading to the belief that the Ravens would keep him in the fold, albeit at a reduced rate if possible.

Campbell was due to account for more than $9MM on the cap this season, a relatively steep figure given his reduced production and the team’s financial situation with Lamar Jackson set to take on a larger portion of their cap commitments on the franchise tag or a long-term deal. Cutting Campbell will result in $7MM in cap savings.

The six-time Pro Bowler has started 40 of his 41 games in Baltimore, seeing a consistent snap share of 64% and 62% over the past two seasons. He had a resurgent season from a pass-rushing perspective in 2022, registering 5.5 sacks. Those numbers could help him earn a new contract with the Ravens or any number of other teams, particularly on a short-term deal.

“Calais defines what it is to be a Raven,” general manager Eric DeCosata said in a statement. “He personifies professionalism, and his contributions to our organization – both on and off the field – are immense… While this is the worst part of the business, we have not closed the door on the possibility of him returning to our team in the future.”

The Ravens have recent draftees Justin Madubuike, Broderick Washington and Travis Jones in place on the interior of their d-line. Veteran Michael Pierce will also play in 2023 after he agreed to reduce his cap number this year. Campbell would be welcomed back in at least a rotational role by the Ravens, who will have a number of other offseason priorities even if they are able to bring him back.

NFL Restructures: Watson, Gage, Edwards, Hines

March 13th, 2023 at 9:03am CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, the Browns have restructured the contract of quarterback Deshaun Watson, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). The move saves Cleveland just under $36MM in cap space, and avoids Watson breaking the NFL record for the highest cap hit in a single season (he was due to count for $54.9MM in 2023).

As was recently noted, the Browns did not require Watson’s permission to convert base salary into signing bonus, though he was reportedly open to the idea. His historic, fully-guaranteed pact signed last offseason upon his acquisition from the Texans was always seen as a financial burden beginning in 2023 due to its structure. While this move thus comes as no surprise (and will, of course, affect his cap hits in future years), it will give Cleveland the spending power needed to make at least one or two notable additions in free agency this week.

Here are some other recent contract restructures, as teams look to carve out much-needed cap space for the coming free agent frenzy:

  • Buccaneers receiver Russell Gage took a slight pay cut for this year to remain in Tampa Bay. Per Rapoport (on Twitter), the 27-year-old agreed to lower his salary from $10MM to $7MM – the latter figure now being fully guaranteed – with incentives in place to earn it back. After a slew of recent cost-cutting moves and financial maneuvering, Tampa Bay is now slightly under the cap ceiling in time for the start of the new league year.
  • Backup Ravens running back Gus Edwards has been seen by many as a potential cut or trade candidate, as the team looks to add financial wiggle room. He will remain in the fold for the coming season, however. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the 27-year-old has agreed to drop his base salary (set to be $4.4MM) by roughly $1MM (Twitter link). He, too will have the chance to make back that amount and more if he hits the new incentives in place in his deal. Edwards is entering the final year of his contract.
  • The Bills will have Nyheim Hines in the backfield at a different cap number than he was originally scheduled for. Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo tweets that Hines is re-working his contract to move part of his base salary into a signing bonus. The midseason trade acquisition was due a base salary of $4.45MM in 2023, and set to carry a cap hit of $4.79MM. Garafolo notes that Hines will have the chance, via incentives, to earn more than the latter figure this season. He is on the books through 2024.

Contract Details: Payne, Saints, Carter, Stewart, Pierce

March 12th, 2023 at 7:50pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are some details on contracts recently signed around the NFL:

  • Daron Payne, DT (Commanders): Four-year, $90MM. The deal, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, creates around $9.43MM in cap space for Washington heading into free agency. Payne was set to enter the 2023 season with a cap hit of $18.94MM. The new extension applies a $28MM signing bonus spread over four years, along with a base salary in Year 1 of the deal of $2.51MM, to lower Payne’s cap hit to $9.51MM. The new move sets the Commanders up with over $20MM of cap space heading into the new league year.
  • Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE (Saints): Two-year, $5MM. The deal, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, has a guaranteed amount of $2.5MM consisting of a $1.4MM signing bonus and Kpassagnon’s 2023 base salary of $1.1MM. The deal includes three voidable years for cap purposes leading to cap hits of $1.9MM in 2023, $3.3MM in 2024, and $1.786 of dead money in 2025.
  • Juwan Johnson, TE (Saints): Two-year, $12MM. The extension, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, has a fully guaranteed amount of $11.51MM consisting of a $5MM signing bonus and both year’s base salaries of $1.01MM in 2023 and $5.5MM in 2024. The contract includes a 2024 roster bonus of $500,000 due on the 5th day of the 2024 league year. There are $2.5MM of incentives available to Johnson in this contract for receptions, yards, and All-Pro selections. Those incentives have escalators in 2024, as well. The deal includes three voidable years to spread out the cap hit.
  • Lorenzo Carter, OLB (Falcons): Two-year, $9MM. The deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN, has a guaranteed amount of $4.25MM consisting of a $2MM signing bonus and $2.25MM of the first year’s base salary (worth a total of $3.25MM). The contract also includes an additional amount of $1MM available through incentives.
  • M.J. Stewart, S (Texans): Two-year, $6MM. The deal, according to Wilson of KPRC 2, has a guaranteed amount of $3MM consisting of a $1.5MM signing bonus and the first year’s base salary of $1.5MM. The deal also includes potential incentives of up to $1.5MM including $750,000 of playtime incentives. The contract also includes a per game active roster bonus of $14,705 for a potential season total of $250,000.
  • Michael Pierce, DT (Ravens): Restructure. The new deal for Pierce includes a new concept in Baltimore. Following the lead of other teams in the NFL, namely the Eagles, the Ravens incorporated voidable years in Pierce’s contract, a first for the franchise. In doing so, though, the team removed the 2024 season from Pierce’s deal, making him a free agent one year sooner than he would’ve been in his original contract.

Latest On Odell Beckham Jr.

March 11th, 2023 at 9:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

9:05pm: In the aftermath of Beckham’s workout, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the three-time Pro Bowler is seeking a deal worth up to $20MM per season, as was the case at one point during the 2022 campaign. His injury absence makes that ask one which is highly unlikely to be met, though the attendance at yesterday’s showing points to a number of suitors still being keenly interested in signing him.

1:38pm: The rare free agent to skip a season and still be expected to generate extensive interest on the following year’s market, Odell Beckham Jr. is believed to be fully recovered from the ACL tear that altered his 2022 hopes.

Beckham is now 100%, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. He attempted to showcase that form in a workout attended by nearly half the league. OBJ did not work out for teams during his late-season push to land a multiyear deal — evidently contingent upon a playoff-only role with a contender last season — but he attracted a nice audience Friday.

Twelve to 14 teams attended the workout, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. Representatives from the 49ers, Bills, Browns, Cardinals, Chiefs, Giants, Jets, Panthers, Patriots, Rams, Ravens and Vikings were at the event, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones notes (Twitter links). Perhaps the most notable Beckham suitor, the Cowboys, were not believed to be one of the teams observing Beckham’s form.

The Cowboys certainly should not be described as out of the Beckham mix, and the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins notes the team remains comfortable signing the eight-year veteran if his health and price demands are right (Twitter link). They are widely expected to revisit the pursuit they scrapped in December. The Rams and Giants are also among the teams expected to go after OBJ again. Sean McVay confirmed, via ESPN’s Sarah Barshop, the Rams are “absolutely” monitoring their former receiver. Before falling out of contention, the Rams were viewed as the favorites to land him last year. But Beckham’s knee ended up needing more time to heal.

Beckham, 30, missing last season means he can sign with a team at any point. Though, every unrestricted free agent wideout can begin talking to teams at 3pm CT Monday, when the legal tampering period starts. The former Giants, Browns and Rams pass catcher is now nearly 13 months removed from his second ACL tear. He returned to action 10 months after his first and ended up making an impact for the Rams, a stretch that concluded with a Super Bowl LVI touchdown.

This year’s iffy wide receiver market should help Beckham’s value, but because of his age and the injury-induced full-season absence, this stands to be one of the more unusual free agencies for a player in recent memory.

AFC Free Agency Rumors: Jackson, Broncos, Ya-Sin, Raiders

March 11th, 2023 at 10:52am CST by Ely Allen

In a recent interview, ESPN’s Adam Schefter expounded a theory on why so many teams are coming out and voicing their disinterest in Lamar Jackson, who received the non-exclusive franchise tag last week and is allowed to negotiate terms with other teams than the Ravens. The theory has nothing to do with Jackson and his outstanding abilities; it has to do with the Ravens’ player personnel staff.

One of the advantages that we teased in earlier reports on the situation was that, by tagging Jackson with the non-exclusive tag, the team would effectively be allowing other teams to do their negotiating for them, since they would likely match any offer opposing teams would make. There was speculation that the Ravens could do this to essentially allow the market to set the value on Jackson.

Schefter theorizes that other teams have no interest in doing Baltimore’s homework for them. Other franchises are fully aware that the Ravens have no intention of letting Jackson walk, so any offer they might make just does the Ravens’ job for them of organizing a new deal for Lamar.

Another added detriment for other teams is that the Ravens would have five days to match the offer or accept Jackson’s departure. In the meantime, the offering team would be stuck in salary cap purgatory, not knowing whether or not it would be taking on the contract of a premier veteran quarterback or not. This is extremely unattractive as free agency is due to open next week. If a team is stuck for five days not knowing their financial position, it becomes difficult to negotiate with other free agents.

Here are a few other free agency rumors from around the conference:

  • An example not too unsimilar from the above phenomenon may occur in Denver, where new Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has recently arrived from Arizona. Joseph may also bring along a former player as, according to freelance journalist and former Cardinals staff writer Mike Jurecki, the Broncos reportedly have lots of interest in Cardinals pending free agent defensive end Zach Allen. Allen is expected to earn an impressive contract this offseason after a standout contract year in Arizona.
  • In a recent mailbag with Las Vegas Review-Journal writer Vincent Bonsignore, a question was posed about the potential for the Raiders to re-sign cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. According to Bonsignore, the team is certainly open to bringing Ya-Sin back, for the right price. Ya-Sin followed up an impressive 2021 season in Indianapolis with a decent year in Las Vegas after being traded straight up for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. The team could certainly use Ya-Sin as their cornerback depth has been whittled down over the years, and a semi-down year for the young corner could assist in setting up the “right price” for the Raiders.
Load More Posts