OWINGS MILS — With the offseason signings and the contracts for the practice squad, the Ravens have to make some moves to get under the NFL salary cap.
As it stands, Baltimore is $3.5 million over the cap, according to Overthecap.com. General manager Eric DeCosta needs to do some maneuvering to get the Ravens in compliance by the NFL deadline on Thursday.
The NFL salary cap increased from $224.8 million in 2023 to $255.4 million this season.
“We have some flexibility to make some moves, and we will, in the next probably week, be cap compliant,” DeCosta said. “There’s a lot of different things we can do. We’ve been pretty conservative. I’m blessed to have [vice president of football administration] Nick Matteo, who’s a great salary cap guy, and [consultant] Pat Moriarty, who’s kind of like a Conciliarity of salary cap guys. We’re in good shape upstairs, and we’ll have a good plan.”
DeCosta expected challenges with the salary cap when the team signed quarterback Lamar Jackson to a five-year, $260 million deal in April 2023.
Other major deals this offseason also impacted the team’s salary cap. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Justin Madubuike signed a four-year, $98 million extension in March. The team also added four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry for $16 million over two years.
The Ravens will likely have to renegotiate the contacts of their highest-paid players, such as cornerback Marlon Humphrey or safety Marcus Williams, to get under the cap. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley already reworked his deal to provide $9.6 million in cap space this offseason.
DeCosta will have to make some tough decisions with the veteran players and replace them with younger, more inexpensive players.
That’s just the way the financial system works in the NFL.
“Unfortunately, with a salary cap league, you just can’t build a team up with veterans at every position,” DeCosta said. “If you could, that would be great. I always tell people, I grew up a Cowboys fan, and the 1993 Dallas Cowboys – that was one of the great teams of all time – if that team had been able to stay together forever, they would’ve won Super Bowls every year I think, but there is a salary cap, and there is free agency and things. And so, you have to pay players, but you also understand you have to draft,and you have to develop young players as well.”
