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The Baltimore Ravens have been masters of signing their key players to extensions before they absolutely have to. General manager Eric DeCosta, since taking over for Ozzie Newsome, has worked hard to bring back star players like kicker Justin Tucker, safety Chuck Clark and cornerback Marcus Peters on long-term extensions before they were set to hit free agency.
DeCosta and the Ravens are looking to continue that new tradition with left tackle Ronnie Stanley and cornerback Marlon Humphrey as soon as this offseason. The problem for Baltimore is Stanley definitely isn’t going to come cheap and it isn’t likely to come before the Houston Texans get a deal done with their franchise left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
According to The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, the Texans’ initial offer to tackle Laremy Tunsil averaged $18.5 million per year. That would make Tunsil the highest-paid offensive tackle in the league by $500,000 a year, according to Over The Cap.
Stanley should be in no rush to get a deal done before Tunsil sets the market for him. He’s the better player and will rightfully want more money than Tunsil to help prove it. And with a league that is continuing to see offenses pass the football more, left tackle might just be the second most important position behind quarterback.
The problem there for the Ravens is the Texans gave up a King’s ransom in their trade for Tunsil last offseason, sending the Miami Dolphins two first-round picks and a second-round pick along with two players. Tunsil rightfully has Houston stuck between a rock and a hard place in any negotiations, which should cause his value to skyrocket. When combined with a 2021 NFL salary cap that is expected to explode thanks to the new CBA, the idea of Tunsil earning $20 million or more per season doesn’t seem that shocking.
The Ravens and Stanley have time to get a deal done, with Baltimore picking up his fifth-year option to keep him under contract through the 2020 season. However, with minimal cap space right now, there could be a little pressure for the Ravens to get an extension signed sooner rather than later to give them a little more cash to spend this offseason.
That means all eyes are on the Texans and Tunsil to see what they can get figured out.
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