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The Ravens signed nose tackle John Jenkins to a one-year contract extension, the team announced Friday, stabilizing their defensive interior through 2026.

Jenkins, 36, has played 483 snaps (46%) this season for a defense that has turned into one of the NFL’s best against the run. Entering Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jenkins has 36 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a career-high two forced fumbles in 16 games (13 starts).

According to Pro Football Focus, Jenkins’ 8.1% run stop rate — the share of tackles that constitute a “loss” for the offense — ranks 19th among qualifying interior defensive linemen. Fellow Ravens lineman Travis Jones, who signed a four-year, $40.5 million extension last month, ranks seventh (10%).

“They’re the one that believed in me, to give me the opportunity in the first place,” Jenkins said after practice Friday. “And then to say, ‘Hey, we want you to come back.’ So I’m here, I’m just doing my job and just being the best vet I can. But it takes two to tango in regards of, ‘Hey, I want you to stay here, and I love the way you present yourself, and you’re of good value to our organization.’ I appreciate that, and I’m very grateful for that.”

Jenkins signed with the Ravens in May as a depth piece, only to take on a greater role after defensive linemen Nnamdi Madubuike (neck) and Broderick Washington (ankle/Achilles tendon) suffered season-ending injuries in September.

Friday’s extension, he said, came as a surprise. Over the past decade, he’d gotten used to entering the offseason as a free agent.

“Being in this position 13 years, you start thinking about life after football, right?” Jenkins said. “So I was just having some conversations with some people in the front office and things of that nature. And they were just like, ‘Hey, listen. You still got it.’ And I was like, ‘You think so?’ And then, next thing you know, here we are.”