It’s been a minute since we’ve had to talk about fifth-year options, but here we are — quickly staring down May 1. The Baltimore Ravens have two decisions to make from their stellar 2022 draft class, and spoiler alert: they’re not really “decisions” at all.
Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum aren’t going anywhere. The real question is how much it’s going to cost to keep them around, and oh boy, it won't be cheap.
Hamilton and Linderbaum have both earned two Pro Bowl nods already. That bumps up their fifth-year option numbers big time, thanks to the NFL’s formula for franchise tag values. Hamilton’s option would cost $18.6 million, while Linderbaum’s would hit a wild $23.4 million. Yes, that would make Linderbaum the highest-paid center in the NFL. No big deal, right?
Here are the restricted free agent tender numbers: pic.twitter.com/hJZJCuw5Hc
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 28, 2025
Bradley Locker from Pro Football Focus called it like it is:
"Since 2022, Hamilton has been one of the best and most versatile defenders: His 92.0 PFF overall grade ranks eighth among qualified defenders, while his 93.3 PFF coverage grade paces the league. With how the safety market exploded during free agency, the Ravens should try to extend Hamilton before the position reaches $23 million per year.”
That’s not a recommendation — that’s a warning.
Market-resetting money is on the way...
Baltimore already saw this storm coming. General manager Eric DeCosta even said it out loud back at the Combine. When you’re paying Lamar Jackson, Roquan Smith, Nnamdi Madubuike, and Marlon Humphrey, you better hit on your draft picks or your window slams shut fast. And guess what? Linderbaum and Hamilton are hits. Home runs. Grand slams.
The kind of players you can’t afford to let walk:
“Over the past three years, [Linderbaum’s] 85.3 PFF overall grade ranks fourth among qualifiers at the position and his 65.2 PFF pass-blocking grade places 10th. Additionally, Linderbaum was the third-most valuable center by PFF WAR in 2024. The Ravens will almost definitely pick up Linderbaum’s option, if not try to extend him, but Kyle Hamilton will take priority,” Locker said.
That “priority” bit matters. Hamilton is a unicorn. The guy does everything — center field safety, nickel corner, blitzer, linebacker, ballhawk, you name it. And with guys like Derek Stingley Jr. and Antoine Winfield Jr. already blowing up the market with $30 million and $21 million annual deals, respectively, Hamilton’s number might get spicy. Humphrey even joked he might hit $40 million per year. Funny? Sure. Impossible? Not entirely.
So what happens next? Expect Baltimore to pick up and then lock up both guys before their numbers balloon anymore. They won’t be cheap, but it is what it is. DeCosta and the front office knew this day would come, and they’ve already started planning for it.
The Ravens aren’t in cap panic mode yet, but they’re awfully close. Time to see if they can keep this Super Bowl window open while writing some seriously massive checks.