The Baltimore Ravens have made their first big move of the off-season. With just days left for free agency to begin, the Ravens have re-signed their defensive lineman Justin Madubuike to a massive contract extension, which has reset the market for defensive tackles.
According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport , the Ravens have offered a 4-year deal to Madubuike, worth $98 million, including $75 million in guarantees. This massive deal makes him the highest-paid defensive tackle in the league, surpassing Quinnen Williams , who signed a 4-year $96 million deal with the New York Jets last off-season.
Just minutes after Rapoport broke the news, the Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta released a statement in X, officially announcing the deal. DeCosta believes Madubuike is the cornerstone of the Ravens’ defensive unit, which had a remarkable campaign last year.
Justin is one of the best defensive tackles in the entire NFL and a cornerstone on our defense. We are thrilled for Justin and his family and equally happy for our fan base. This is a great way to start the new league year! Eric DeCosta said
Madubuike was drafted by the Ravens in the third round (71st overall pick) of the 2020 NFL Draft. Since he is not a first-round pick, he was not eligible for the fifth-year option. Since there are not of lot of good defensive linemen available in the market, the Ravens initially played it safe and placed the franchise tag on him ahead of the tag deadline.
At the time, DeCosta claimed that they would keep negotiating with Madubuike and the goal was to sign him to a long-term deal. And now, before the start of the free agency period, they have reached a middle ground on an extension.
Justin Madubuike has only one Pro Bowl campaign in 4 years
The Ravens have locked in one of their best defensive players from the 2023 campaign. He had a breakout campaign during the 2023 season and has now been rewarded for it.
In 2023, he had the best year of his career so far as he registered 13 sacks (4.5 sacks more than his first three years combined), 56 tackles, and 1 forced fumble. As a result, he received the first Pro Bowl nod of his career and was also named to the AP first-team All-Pro squad.
Now that the Ravens have locked in their star defensive player, they would turn their attention to the offensive side. They would look to add some offensive weapons to the squad to help their quarterback, Lamar Jackson.
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