Ravens Praised for Elite Bargain Deals

Good players cost money in any sport, with the NFL's hard cap often constraining teams looking to hold onto all of their most impressive pieces when they grow eligible for more deserving contracts. The best teams are usually the ones toeing the line between eras, drafting new talent and signing older players for cheap to surround those in their prime.

The Baltimore Ravens exemplify how to walk the tightrope, with this current roster symbolizing years of savvy management to find talented players who not only make magic on the field, but somehow fit together in the books.

They dominated CBS Sports' Top 100 Players list, offering dynamic playmakers at prestige positions and top-of-the-line dirty workers on the margins. As if to commemorate teams like the Ravens for figuring out how to roster so many perennial Pro-Bowlers, CBS Sports followed that project up with the "All-Bargain Team," finding the biggest contractual steals from that first list to form their own starting lineup for both sides of the ball.

As predicted, several Ravens made appearances. Tyler Linderbaum won out as the league's most undervalued center, and Kyle Hamilton took precedent as the hypothetical team's starting safety.

Linderbaum has only been in the league for three seasons, but he's already accumulated multiple Pro Bowl appearances to go along with honors as the second-highest ranked player at his position by PFF. His desire for a new contract has been well documented to start the summer, with Lamar Jackson's most valuable protector looking for the kinds of extension the team's already started handing out to some of his teammates.

Hamilton's been with the team for just as long as Linderbaum has, and he's accrued even more awards. He's a back-to-back All-Pro recipient, a league-renowned safety who's an annual contender to win top defensive honors and a keystone piece to one of the league's best defenses.

He's still playing on his rookie deal, set to produce a $5.2 million cap hit in 2026 compared to Linderbaum's upcoming $4.2 million tag. Now that they've both concluded their third seasons, these top-ranked Ravens are eligible to start negotiating extensions whenever Baltimore's willing to listen.