How we would have approached Ravens free agency to keep Tyler Linderbaum

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[UPDATE] The Ravens did not manage to keep Tyler Linderbaum, as he opted to sign a record-setting deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The biggest week of the Ravens’ offseason is here. After a seismic trade Friday for Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby, how much bigger could it get?

That depends primarily on general manager Eric DeCosta, quarterback Lamar Jackson and a big class of free agents potentially headed out of Baltimore. DeCosta said in January that a new deal with Jackson would allow the Ravens to target “a couple of big-ticket items” this offseason. Crosby, one of the NFL’s best edge rushers over his seven years with the Raiders, was an unexpected headliner.

But there should be room for more needle movers. Ahead of the start of the NFL’s legal tampering period at noon Monday, the Ravens are projected to be about $14.1 million over the salary cap after their two-year deal with quarterback Tyler Huntley. The league set the 2026 cap last month at $301.2 million, but with the Ravens’ carryover space from last year, their cap is effectively a projected $310.6 million, according to Over The Cap.

How can the Ravens get back into the black and shore up their roster? It’s not as daunting as it looks. With DeCosta needing about $12 million in cap space to pay for the team’s future expenses — the draft class, the practice squad, a rainy-day fund for injury replacements — here’s how the Ravens can win the first wave of free agency. The steps are ordered by their potential timing.

1. Sign QB Lamar Jackson to an extension

This is the foundation of the Ravens’ offseason. It’s the looming domino, the unlit fuse, the cocked hammer. Jackson has a $74.5 million cap hit in 2026 and 2027, the final year of his deal; the largest cap number a team has ever entered a season with is $50.5 million (Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott last season).

The Ravens could still find wiggle room without an extension. Thanks to the automatic conversion rights in Jackson’s current deal, the Ravens can convert part or all of his $51.3 million salary in 2026 to a prorated signing bonus and add another void year, which would cut his cap number substantially.

But an extension would have symbolic and practical power, not only signaling his long-term commitment to new coach Jesse Minter but also clarifying the team’s financial outlook. The more the Ravens know about their books over the next five years, the better. Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers is eligible for an extension this offseason, and Crosby could be in line for an adjustment as well.

How could Jackson’s next deal be structured? Given the various permutations of roster bonuses, option bonuses, workout bonuses and salary guarantees, the possibilities are endless. But in this hypothetical, the Ravens would follow a contract structure prescribed by CBS Sports’ Joel Corry, a former NFL agent, and create about $33 million in space for 2026.

Cap projection: $291.6 million ($19 million in space)

2. Sign C Tyler Linderbaum to an extension

Linderbaum, one of the league’s top pending free agents, is expected to reset the center market with his next deal, eclipsing the $18 million in average annual value that the Kansas City Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey got in August 2024.

In Baltimore, the three-time Pro Bowl pick would be the centerpiece of a much-needed interior offensive line makeover. Even if the Ravens can’t match the sheer spending power of the Tennessee Titans or the Raiders, both of whom are looking to bolster the protection around their young quarterbacks, DeCosta can offer Linderbaum continuity and championship hopes. That was enough to keep left tackle Ronnie Stanley off the market last offseason.

According to ESPN, Linderbaum is projected to earn a four-year, $90 million deal that includes $60 million in guaranteed money. Under one potentially back-loaded structure, he would count about $15 million against the cap in 2026.

Cap projection: $306.6 million ($4 million in space)

3. Release QB Cooper Rush, DL Broderick Washington

With Huntley re-signed, the Ravens can move on from Rush, who never lived up to the two-year, $6.2 million contract he signed last offseason. He struggled in training camp, the preseason and in his two regular-season starts before ceding the backup job to Huntley.

Washington is entering the last year of the three-year, $15.8 million extension he signed after a promising 2022 season. But his regression as a run defender and his injury struggles make him unlikely to stick around on his $4 million salary.

By designating Rush as a post-June 1 cut and releasing Washington, the Ravens would create $6.2 million in space, though the savings on Rush’s deal wouldn’t be realized until this summer.

Cap projection: $300.4 million ($10.2 million in space)

4. Sign RB Keaton Mitchell to an extension

Mitchell, a restricted free agent, is one of the NFL’s most explosive backs. But his limited usage (303 offensive snaps over three seasons) and injury history make his place in the Ravens’ offseason plans hard to determine. Will Mitchell get a second-round tender by the start of the new league year Wednesday afternoon, which would entitle him to a one-year, $5.8 million offer sheet? Another team could sign Mitchell to an offer sheet, but if the Ravens decided not to match it, they’d receive the team’s 2026 second-round pick as compensation.

Or will Mitchell get a right-of-first-refusal tender, a cheaper one-year contract that’s worth $3.6 million? The Ravens would have five days to match any offer sheet he signed with another team, but there would be no draft compensation tied to the tender.

A two-year extension worth $4 million annually could be a happy medium. It would also help the Ravens keep his cap number low — perhaps a $3 million hit in 2026.

Cap projection: $303.4 million ($7.2 million in space)

5. Tender exclusive-rights free agents

As former undrafted rookies, offensive lineman Corey Bullock and defensive lineman C.J. Okoye are exclusive-rights free agents, meaning they have less than three years of service time and, once tendered, are under the Ravens’ control. Bullock and Okoye could have significant roles in 2026, especially if Linderbaum and defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike do not return.

Altogether, tenders for Bullock, Okoye, wide receiver Dayton Wade and linebacker Carl Jones Jr. would cost about $4 million but take up about $1.4 million in space. (Under the NFL’s so-called “rule of 51,” only a team’s top 51 cap figures, including “dead money” for players no longer on the roster, count toward the cap during the offseason.) To retain exclusive rights on the four players, the Ravens must submit qualifying offers by Wednesday.

Cap projection: $304.8 million ($5.8 million in space)

6. Restructure EDGE Maxx Crosby’s contract

The Ravens have flexibility with Crosby’s contract, which has four years of below-market-value base salaries ($30 million in 2026), negligible game bonuses and a 2027 salary guarantee ($29 million) arriving later this week. According to Over the Cap, the Ravens could save over $21 million by converting his 2026 base salary into a prorated signing bonus, a mechanism that becomes possible only after their trade with Las Vegas is finalized Wednesday.

But the more prudent strategy for DeCosta would be to maintain his leverage over Crosby, who will likely seek a new deal in Baltimore, and convert only what is necessary. In this case, the Ravens would create about $10 million in space by lowering his 2026 cap hit to $20 million.

Cap projection: $294.8 million ($15.8 million in space)

7. Agree on pay cut with CB Marlon Humphrey

DeCosta said last month that he expects to keep Humphrey despite an underwhelming 2025 season. But he wouldn’t shut the door on a possible contract adjustment.

There’s recent precedent for a pay cut. During the 2024 offseason, Stanley agreed to reduce his salary by $7.5 million to remain with the Ravens. He was coming off a season in which he had the highest blown-block rate in both pass protection and run blocking among the team’s regular starting linemen, according to Sports Info Solutions.

Humphrey, whose struggles last season were just as severe, has a $15.3 million base salary in 2026, a $4 million roster bonus and a $26.3 million cap hit overall. The Ravens would create just $7.3 million in cap space if they released him before June 1, which makes a gamble on a return to form likely. A similar-sized pay cut would create savings of around $7 million.

Cap projection: $287.8 million ($22.8 million in space)

8. Re-sign P Jordan Stout, TE Charlie Kolar, S Ar’Darius Washington, ILB Jake Hummel

Stout’s unsettled status is a surprise; under former coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens prioritized the retention of high-quality specialists like kicker Justin Tucker and punter Sam Koch. But it would be an even bigger surprise if Stout signs elsewhere. He earned All-Pro honors last season after leading the league with a 44.9-yard net average and could be in line for his own market-topping deal. The Seattle Seahawks’ Michael Dickson leads all punters with an average annual contract value of $4.1 million.

Kolar, taken just two picks before Stout in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, could be a priority for DeCosta as well. While he has just 30 catches for 409 yards and four touchdowns over his career, Kolar had the lowest blown-block rate (0.4%) among all tight ends with at least 200 blocking snaps last season, according to SIS. First-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle needs an in-line blocker of his caliber. Kolar’s next deal could track closely with that of Adam Trautman, another well-respected blocking tight end who on Sunday reportedly agreed to a three-year, $17 million extension with the Denver Broncos.

Washington had to settle for a $3.3 million tender as a restricted free agent last year. An injury-shortened year — he played just four games after returning from a torn Achilles tendon — won’t help his market. He’ll be a cheaper option than fellow free-agent safety Alohi Gilman, but one with a potentially higher ceiling.

Hummel, a special teams standout who joined the Ravens last year on a one-year, $1.2 million deal, played just 33 defensive snaps in 2025. But he led the Ravens in special teams snaps and was second in special teams tackles. Another low-cost reunion with first-year special teams coordinator Anthony Levine Sr. would make sense.

Four potential extensions with typical contract structures would take up about $7 million in space.

Cap projection: $294.8 million ($15.8 million in space)

9. Sign G James Daniels

Injuries have sidelined Daniels for much of the past two years. He tore his Achilles tendon in Week 4 of the 2024 season and suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in last year’s opener.

But before Daniels went down in 2024, he was grading out as one of the NFL’s best guards. His strong play over that first month with the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially as a run blocker, earned him a three-year, $24 million deal with the Dolphins last offseason. Miami released him last month.

Daniels, a second-round pick in 2018, is only 28 and could be a reclamation projection for first-year offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford. Over his first six seasons, Daniels played in 86 games, making 80 starts.

The Ravens’ best hope in the guard market is that a higher-tier option like Alijah Vera-Tucker, Isaac Seumalo or Dylan Parham draws only tepid interest. But Daniels, at full strength, would represent an immediate upgrade at either guard spot in Baltimore. A projected one-year deal would cost about $4 million.

Cap projection: $298.8 million ($11.8 million in space)

10. Remain flexible

DeCosta is typically nimble in free agency, pivoting quickly when targets sign elsewhere and seizing on high-value opportunities when they arrive. In the Ravens’ front office, there’s always a contingency plan in place, and then usually a contingency plan for the contingency plan.

They’ll need that flexibility this year. Could running back Justice Hill be a salary cap casualty? Could Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard’s hometown discount not be enough to keep him in Baltimore? Could the Ravens circle back to outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones or tight end Isaiah Likely if their budget changes? In their search for the right players at the right prices, almost anything is possible.