Ravens GM Offers No Update on Contract Talks for Three Key Players
The Baltimore Ravens face important decisions regarding a trio of their top players heading into the offseason.
There’s no question that the Ravens hit a home run with their first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Safety Kyle Hamilton, selected 14th overall, and center Tyler Linderbaum, taken 25th overall in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals, have exceeded expectations and become standout players at their positions. Both have earned Pro Bowl honors in each of the past two seasons and established themselves as some of the best in the league.
One major benefit of having such elite players on rookie contracts is their low cost relative to market value, which lasts for at least four years. But as these players reach their potential, a hefty price tag will eventually come due, and that time is approaching for Hamilton and Linderbaum.
The Ravens must decide whether to exercise the fifth-year options for both players by May 1. When asked about the status of those decisions at his annual pre-draft press conference, general manager Eric DeCosta provided little clarity, offering no updates and stating, “I think the last couple of years I’ve waited to announce that and handle that, and I think that’s going to be the case again this year.”
Last year, the Ravens waited until three days after the 2024 NFL Draft to pick up the fifth-year option for 2021 first-round pick Odafe Oweh, which was valued at $13.25 million. The previous year, they declined the fifth-year option for 2020 first-round linebacker Patrick Queen just two days after the 2023 Draft. Queen had yet to make a Pro Bowl at that point, though he would earn one later.
Hamilton and Linderbaum, however, are already established stars, and their fifth-year options will carry significantly higher price tags. Hamilton’s option is projected at $18.6 million, nearly quadruple the $5.1 million he is set to earn in 2025. This would make him the third-highest-paid safety in the league, behind only Antoine Winfield Jr. of the Buccaneers and Derwin James of the Chargers.
Linderbaum’s fifth-year option would be even higher, set at $23.4 million. That would reset the center market, far surpassing the current highest-paid center, Creed Humphrey of the Chiefs, whose average is $18 million per year. While the Ravens may be willing to make Hamilton one of the highest-paid safeties and Linderbaum the top-paid center, they would likely prefer not to do so at such an inflated cost.
DeCosta was also asked about the status of a potential contract extension for running back Derrick Henry. The five-time Pro Bowler was a key contributor to the Ravens’ offensive success last season and outperformed the two-year, $16 million deal he signed last offseason. When asked about Henry’s future, DeCosta remained tight-lipped, saying, “We have a lot of different balls in the air right now. I’m not going to talk about what we’re doing [or] what we’re not doing behind the scenes business-wise with these guys.”
In his previous media appearance at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, DeCosta had hinted that Henry would likely remain with the Ravens beyond 2025, referencing a photo of the running back in his office. With Henry continuing to defy expectations for running backs over 30, an extension seems inevitable.
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