Salary cap space
As of March 17, 2021, the Ravens are projected to have $20,942,890 in cap space for 2021.
The Ravens rolled over $587,000 in 2020 cap space.
March 10 update: The salary cap has been set at $182.5 million.
The Baltimore Ravens earned their first victory in the Lamar Jackson era in the 2020-21 season. After finishing second in the AFC North and qualifying for a wild card spot at 11-5, Baltimore got the best of the Tennessee Titans before seeing their season end with a 17-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.
Baltimore has plenty of young talent that should make the Ravens playoff contenders for years. The Ravens will have some decisions to make this offseason though as they try to keep as much young talent on the roster as possible for the future of the franchise.
The NFL powered through its 2020 season amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The league played without fans in most stadiums, and limited fans in a handful of locations. The decrease in gate revenue is going to result in a decrease in money shared between the 32 teams. This in turn means the salary cap has been decreased. The NFL has announced an official salary cap of $182.5 million, which is sure to result in some tough choices for many teams.
All salary cap information below comes courtesy of the NFLPA Public Salary Cap Report.
Notable contracts
There is no question who the future of the franchise is at quarterback just one year removed from an NFL MVP award, but Jackson’s contract could be one that gets discussed this offseason. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Ravens are expected to explore an extension for Jackson. He has a 2021 base salary of $1,771,590, and he’s obviously worth way more than that. After three years, he is now able to negotiate a long-term deal for the first time.
One of the more important questions this offseason comes on the defensive side of the ball as Baltimore’s top four edge rushers Matthew Judon, Pernell McPhee, Tyus Bowser and Yannick Ngakoue are all free agents. Judon had the highest base salary of any player on the roster in 2020 with $16,808,000 as he played on the franchise tag and is a crucial part of the defense.
Baltimore has a few key offensive skill position players who are headed to free agency. Running back Gus Edwards made a $750,000 base salary and had a solid season. This could be the end for Mark Ingram in Baltimore as he has a base salary of $5 million in 2021 with none of it guaranteed. In addition, wide receiver Willie Snead developed as a solid option for Jackson out of the slot and made $3,662,059 in 2020 and is a free agent. The team has already released quarterback Robert Griffin III, and wide receiver Dez Bryant could follow.