Ravens Continue Roster Moves: Cap Space Created, Key Players Retained, and Trade Speculation Swirls

As the first week of free agency wraps up, the news comes in much slower. The Ravens haven’t signed anyone new over the past 24 hours, but they are still working hard to get their roster right. Marlon Humphrey agreed to a restructure of his contract that will create approximately $13 million in cap space. Ar’Darius Washington was tendered as a restricted free agent on a $3.1 million deal, but Washington could still sign with another team.

Marlon Humphrey Restructure Creates $13M Cap Space for Ravens’ Offseason Moves

Marlon Humphrey agreed to a restructured contract that will create more salary for the Ravens to play with. Humphrey converted almost all of his yearly salary and roster bonus into signing bonus, so he still gets paid the same. Under the salary cap, a signing bonus can be averaged over the length of a contract to spread out the money in terms of salary cap. For example, if a player signs a 5-year deal paying him a total of $10 million with $1 million in salary per year and a $5 million in signing bonus, the cap hit is only $2 million in the first year, even though the player is paid his salary plus the signing bonus up front ($6 million total). The Ravens added some additional void years to lengthen the terms of the contract. So, the $16 million Marlon was owed in salary is paid to him immediately as a bonus. However, that $16 million is now spread out over each season of the contract for cap purposes, instead of for just this year. The downside of this is the Ravens will most likely have Humphrey’s salary on the books when he is no longer an impact player or on the team entirely. These are the kind of moves teams make when they are in a strong contending window right now. With Lamar Jackson at the peak of his powers, no one is better positioned to push their chips in.

Ar’Darius Washington Receives ROFR Tender: What It Means for Ravens

Ar’Darius Washington (DB) was outstanding last season as the deep safety next to Kyle Hamilton, now it's his turn to get paid. An undrafted rookie out of TCU in 2021, Washington was an excellent college DB who was considered undersized. He missed the majority of games his first 3 years due to various season ending injuries. In 2023, he started off well before a chest injury knocked him out in week 2. Finally, he was healthy in 2024, playing 16 games and starting 9. Washington was a key piece of the Ravens second half defensive turnaround, going from the worst pass D in the league to one of the best.

Due to his undrafted status, Washington was a restricted free agent, meaning the Ravens had 2 choices. They could tender him outright for $5.1 million and keep him, or choose the ROFR tender for $3.1 million. This means that Washington can negotiate with other teams to find a better deal, but the Ravens have the right to match any offer he gets. 

The thinking is that Washington is a guy they want to keep, but not at the expensive price of the normal tender. The two sides could not come to an agreement on a long term deal either, so the Ravens told Washington to see what's out there, while the front office believes they gave a competitive offer. This is just a part of the negotiating process, and it's likely that Washington will be back in Baltimore next season. 

When Lamar Jackson was negotiating his big deal, the Ravens gave him a chance to look at offers from other teams, but he ended up signing and staying anyway. With Washington’s durability issues, and the limited cap space the Ravens have, it makes sense for all parties to proceed this way.

Mark Andrews' Future in Baltimore: Could Ravens Trade Their Star Tight End?

Mark Andrews is a future Ravens ring of honor leader who is the franchises all time leader in touchdowns, but football moves fast. After a poor performance against the Bills in the playoffs, fans started to wonder if it was time to move on from Money Mark. 

The team can save $11 million in cap space this season by cutting or trading him.  Andrews is due a $4 million bonus on Monday if he’s on the roster. If the team was going to move on from him, it would make the most sense to do it before that bonus is paid out. There are plenty of teams looking for tight ends, especially after Mike Gesicki and Evan Engram signed their free agent deals. The Ravens already have Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar at tight end, so losing Andrews would not be a major loss from a personnel perspective. Still, it’s never easy to say goodbye to a player who has given so much to the team—and will undoubtedly continue to excel elsewhere in the NFL. For years, Mark Andrews was Lamar Jackson’s most trusted target, a safety valve in critical moments and a touchdown machine in the red zone.

If this is the end, it won’t be a storybook farewell, but rather a cold business decision—a reminder that even the best connections aren’t always built to last in the NFL.