The Ravens have built a payroll that is heading toward $400 million this season, and that kind of spending brings its own pressure. Steve Bisciotti has pushed into territory he hasn’t really visited before, with Baltimore ranking in the top 10 in overall spending in back-to-back years for the first time in a long time. The commitment is massive, and it leaves Eric DeCosta with a roster that still has obvious holes to manage.
That’s why the next few days matter. With Week 1 closing in, the Ravens still have three contract situations that need attention, and they all carry real consequences for how this season and the next one play out.
One involves Lamar Jackson and could already be slipping away for 2026 and maybe beyond. The other two are veteran deals that look like they should have been moved on from already.
Jackson remains the biggest one. He’s been guarded all offseason when the contract topic comes up, and the Ravens have boxed themselves in with the max restructure that leaves him with de-facto free agency in 2027, plus an $85 million cap charge, a no-trade clause and a no-tag clause.
As Mark Levin, formerly of the NFLPA and involved in Jackson’s previous negotiation, said, “I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he asked for a trade again,” and Pat Kirwan, speaking on “The Daily Flock Show,” put it bluntly: “They painted themselves into a corner,” Kirwan said. “They’re the ones who gave him he no trade and no tag.
So they have no leverage. Ultimately they’re going to have to make him the highest-paid quarterback in the league and get that cap number down.”
That deal is not simple to fix, and the clock is not working in Baltimore’s favor. Jackson is “cool” playing this contract out, and he’s made it clear he isn’t going to negotiate while he’s on the field.
After practice Wednesday, he said, “I'm in a great place with the offense right now,” even though he apparently wasn’t asked a question about his contract. The Ravens didn’t want to redo the deal earlier because doing so would have meant adding years and future guarantees, but the result is still a mess for the organization.
The other two situations are veterans who have become increasingly difficult to justify. One is Marlon Humphrey, who is tied to $19.25 million in cash this season, with $15 million still owed.
He was one of the worst starting boundary corners in the NFL last year, and the Ravens are planning to use more dime looks with more safeties on the field. Kyle Hamilton is already in the slot, and Baltimore has two young, cheap slot corners with different body types in the mix.
Even so, the Ravens have not extended Humphrey, and the rough 2025 film, along with the injury concerns, make this a difficult call.
The logic here is simple: if the Ravens can save money, they can use it later. They are likely to be in the market for salary at the trade deadline, and even a few million here and there could matter. Kirwan agreed that Baltimore should be willing to eat more money to move on, because the roster will need flexibility.
Then there is the wide receiver situation. He is facing three counts of family violence charges in Georgia from the spring, and the police accounts include disturbing details.
The Ravens have declined to address that directly. They issued a statement that said nothing, and their rookie head coach responded with “no comment” when reporters asked about the starting wide receiver over the weekend.
From a football standpoint, the case for moving on has been there too. He has not been dependable or consistent, and the Ravens still need to get honest about their lack of real pass catchers and his lack of chemistry with Jackson.
They have tried to move him before and couldn’t find a deal, and the off-field situation could make that even harder now. Still, with a $2 million base salary and a $4 million bonus already paid, Baltimore may have to keep working to find a real pass catcher before the deadline.
In Other News...
Ethan Burke Is Making The Ravens' Final Roster Call Much Harder
The late-summer push for roster spots is always where a team learns who can help on game day and who is just filling camp reps, and Ethan Burke has forced the Ravens to keep looking his way. The undrafted rookie outside linebacker has brought a sharper edge in recent preseason work, and his presence has been felt beyond the pass rush, where special teams value often decides the back end of the roster.
Burkes case is made stronger by the kinds of plays that travel from practice field to preseason games: effort, physicality and a willingness to show up in the kicking game. He has been pushing for the final outside linebacker job and has put real pressure on Adisa Isaac in that competition, with Burkes special teams work emerging as a major reason his path to the 53-man roster suddenly looks much less straightforward than it did a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Final Preseason Game Centers On One Big Veteran Decision
The Ravens head into their final preseason game with the same cautious mindset that has defined much of the summer under rookie head coach Jese Minter. Baltimore is putting health ahead of snaps, especially for veterans, and that means the dress rehearsal feel of the third exhibition has been replaced by a more measured look at the roster bubble, with practice squad players and specialists carrying a bigger share of the load because of injuries and other roster considerations.
Among the veterans, center Ethan Pocic and defensive tackle Broderick Washington stand out as the most likely candidates to get at least a little work if the staff wants to keep them sharp. It is the kind of balancing act teams face every August, but for the Ravens it carries extra weight, since these decisions are less about the scoreboard than about making sure the group is ready when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Still Have One Roster Worry Before Week 1
The Ravens are down to their final preseason tune-up before roster cuts, and the front office still has one lingering question to sort out before Week 1. With the depth chart largely taking shape, Baltimore is still weighing whether it needs outside help at safety, offensive line or tight end, three spots where available free agents could still make sense depending on how the roster looks after the preseason finale.
Peppers, Hernandez and Hill are the names that fit the conversation, each offering a potential way to patch a thin spot if the Ravens decide they need another body before the regular season begins. For now, it remains a matter of matching need with availability, and the answer may not be clear until the team gets through its last round of evaluation and starts trimming the roster. [Read more 🡒]