Ravens Agree to ‘Huge’ Contract with Top Free Agent

Roquan Smith


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The Ravens agreed a historic contract with one of their two top free agents.

One down, one to go. That’s what the Baltimore Ravens will hope they’ve accomplished after agreeing a “huge,” market-altering contract to one of their top two free agents on Tuesday, January 10.

Roquan Smith will be a Raven for the long haul after agreeing a historic deal with the team that traded for him back in November. The news was confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport:

Once the final touches on put on this deal, only Lamar Jackson’s future will remain on the to-d0 list for general manager Eric DeCosta.


Ravens Right to Pay Up for Cornerstone Player

The Ravens knew what they were getting when they traded A.J. Klein and two draft picks to the Chicago Bears for Smith. He’s lived up to the billing as a force multiplier on a Baltimore defense experiencing an uncomfortable but necessary transition this season.

Mike Macdonald replacing Don ‘Wink’ Martindale as coordinator meant a scheme less reliant on the blitz. What Macdonald’s system required was relentless pressure by the front four with a do-all linebacker able to read and react to anything behind those pass-rushers.

Smith has answered the call and transformed the defense in the process, per NFL reporter Dov Kleiman:

That kind or turnaround is worth paying big money to Smith. The Ravens have secured the future of their star on defense. Now it’s up to DeCosta to arrange something similar for the standout presence on the other side of the ball.


Ravens Can Still Afford QB1 After This Outlay

Making Smith the highest-paid linebacker in league history won’t preclude the Ravens keeping Jackson in the fold. Not when the terms have been structured in a “reasonable” way, according to Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus:

What those terms likely mean is Jackson gets hit with the franchise tag to keep him around at least for the short term. The cost of a tag is projected by Over The Cap to be $32,445,000.

While that figure is a significant chunk of Baltimore’s projected $48,807,906 worth of salary cap space for this year. It’s a number set before Smith deal is officially ratified, but there’s good reason to believe it won’t impact Jackson’s contract situation.

If anything, Smith coming to terms is a good omen the Ravens can eventually strike an agreement with their QB1. Like Jackson, Smith represents himself, something that could be tricky for DeCosta, but in one case at least, he appears to have found a way to work around any such issues.

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