Humphrey gets 5-year deal
Extension worth $98M, report says
The Ravens have signed Marlon Humphrey to a five-year contract extension that will keep the All-Pro cornerback in Baltimore through the 2026 season, the team announced Thursday.
The five-year deal is worth $98.75 million, including $40 million guaranteed, according to
ESPN, which would make Humphrey one of the NFL’s highest-paid cornerbacks. Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey signed a five-year, $105 million extension in September, the richest-ever deal for the position.
“It’s great to sign that deal and know that for the next couple of years, you’re going to be a Raven,” Humphrey said in a video conference call Thursday. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve really enjoyed this organization, this city, these fans, the people around me. So it was really big me for to stay a Raven”
Humphrey, 24, entered this year with one of the NFL’s most valuable contracts ($3.8 million salary cap hit), and the Ravens already had picked up his fifthyear option for 2021, when he’s expected to earn about $10 million.
But the NFL’s skyrocketing market for cornerbacks made him one of the Ravens front office’s top priorities. The Miami Dolphins signed free agent Byron
Jones this offseason to a five-year, $82.5 million deal. The Philadelphia Eagles added Darius Slay with a three-year, $50 million offer. Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White signed a fouryear, $70 million extension. Ramsey, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, reset the market three weeks ago.
“Marlon is the type of player we want in Baltimore,” said Ravens general manager Eric
DeCosta, who’s also negotiating a potential extension for All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley, a pending free agent. “Besides his obvious talents as a playmaking corner, he’s a passionate competitor who craves winning. Marlon has been a stalwart in our community, and we are excited that he’s going to remain with us for seven seasons.
Humphrey’s extension is DeCosta’s latest big-money investment in the team’s secondary. With Marcus Peters agreeing to a three-year, $42 million extension in December, the Ravens have one of the NFL’s best cornerback pairings under contract through 2022. In February, safety Chuck Clark signed a three-year, $19 million extension. In February 2019, Tavon Young signed a three-year, $25.8 million extension that briefly made him the NFL’s highestpaid slot cornerback.
Not every bet has paid off. Young missed last season with a neck injury and appeared in just two games this year before tearing his ACL for the second time in four seasons. Safety Earl Thomas III, who signed a four-year, $55 million contract in 2019, including $32 million guaranteed, had his contract terminated after he followed his Pro Bowl season with a rocky offseason and training camp. Safety Tony Jefferson, who signed a four-year, $34 million contract in 2017, was released after three disappointing seasons.
But over three-plus years in Baltimore, Humphrey has evolved from the No. 16 overall pick into the kind of foundational player around whom the Ravens want to build. A homegrown talent, he’s the franchise’s first first-round pick to sign a contract extension since cornerback Jimmy Smith, a 2011 pick.
A durable, flexible and physical cornerback, Humphrey has missed just two games in his NFL career. Since 2019, he has played at least 91.8% of the Ravens’ defensive snaps in all but one game, and done so with a fearless playing style. Maybe most impressively, Humphrey’s breakthrough 2019 season came at a position where he had little experience.
In 2019, Humphrey finished with three interceptions and returned two of his three fumble recoveries for touchdowns. He earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career.