The Baltimore Ravens have already addressed their biggest free agency concern by re-signing Ronnie Stanley to a three-year, $60 million contract. Since then, they’ve done a solid job of bringing back key contributors like Patrick Ricard and Tylan Wallace. But with cap space running even lower after also signing DeAndre Hopkins and Jake Hummel, Baltimore needed to do something.
Enter Marlon Humphrey. According to cap expert Brian McFarland, the Ravens have restructured their star cornerback’s contract, freeing up $13.4 million in 2025 cap space. Instead of cutting Humphrey or forcing a trade, Baltimore converted nearly all of his $18 million salary into a signing bonus and tacked on two void years to spread out the financial hit.
The Ravens have done a max restructure w/Marlon Humphrey by reducing his $18M salary & roster bonus to the league min of $1.255M & converting $16.745M to a bonus. Two void yrs were added. Restructure creates $13.396M in 2025 cap space.
— Brian McFarland (@RavensSalaryCap) March 13, 2025
This comes at a crucial time, especially after losing multiple key pieces in the secondary. Brandon Stephens signed with the New York Jets, Arthur Maulet was released, and Marcus Williams was cut. With those exits, keeping Humphrey in the fold became even more important.
Marlon Humphrey's contract restructure gives Ravens breathing room
With this restructure, Humphrey still remains under contract for at least two more seasons. The 28-year-old is coming off arguably the best season of his career, where he racked up 67 tackles, six interceptions (including a pick-six), two forced fumbles, and 15 pass deflections.
There were whispers the Ravens could move on from Humphrey entirely due to his massive $25.4 million cap hit. Releasing him could have saved $12.7 million, but that would have left the cornerback room painfully thin. Instead, Baltimore took the smarter approach—keeping their two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl defensive back while creating cap flexibility for more moves.
Even with Humphrey locked in, Baltimore still has work to do at cornerback. Right now, their top options are Humphrey and second-year corners Nate Wiggins and T.J. Tampa. It’s a promising group thanks to Wiggins, but a veteran addition could help solidify the depth. Free agents like Mike Hilton or Asante Samuel Jr. could be logical targets if the Ravens want an experienced presence in the room.
This restructure also sets the stage for future financial decisions. Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum are both due for extensions, and they won't come cheap. Derrick Henry’s contract situation looms as well. Kicking the cap problem down the road isn’t necessarily ideal, but for a team in win-now mode, it is what it is.
The bottom line? Baltimore keeps its top corner, gains some much-needed cap relief, and stays flexible for future moves. For now, it’s a win. Whether it comes back to bite them down the road or not remains to be seen.