Ravens sign first-round pick Malaki Starks to rookie deal

Starks, the No. 27 overall pick in April’s draft, will receive $16.58M on his first NFL contract including a $8.7M signing bonus, according to KRPC2’s Aaron Wilson. The Ravens also have a fifth-year option they can exercise in 2028 that will keep Starks under contract through 2029.

The former Georgia Bulldog was already expected to have an impactful rookie year as a versatile third safety in defensive coordinator Zach Orr‘s scheme. An Achilles injury to 2024 starter Ar’Darius Washington will likely press Starks into a full-time role, something head coach John Harbaugh mentioned after Wednesday’s practice.

“It’s a lot on his plate right now,” Harbaugh said. “He’s going to have to step up, but that’s why we drafted him in the first round.” 

The longtime head coach added that he had yet to see Starks make a mistake on the field.

Having Starks on a cost-controlled rookie contract for the next four years should allow the Ravens to make Hamilton the highest-paid safety in the NFL sometime in the next year. The team picked up the 2022 first-rounder’s fifth-year option, ensuring he will stay in Baltimore for at least two more seasons, but general manager Eric DeCosta‘s history of rewarding his best players suggests that Hamilton will be a Raven for a long time. 

That will allow him to mentor Starks as the two develop chemistry with the intention of becoming the best safety duo in the NFL.