Like nearly every team in the NFL this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens were hit hard by the reduction in salary cap. While the Ravens started far better off than many teams, re-signing several of their own players and adding guard Kevin Zeitler took its toll on their salary cap situation. With the second wave of free agency starting and the 2021 NFL draft just around the corner, Baltimore put in a little contract work to free up some money.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Ravens renegotiated contracts with Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams. However, the better term here is that both players effectively took pay cuts, restructuring their deals but taking less money against the salary cap. As The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec points out, both players could still earn money back through incentives, but it frees up $4.5 million in cap space without signing either to an extension.
According to the NFLPA’s public salary cap report, the Ravens now have $18.6 million available. It is important to note that Baltimore will still need to sign all of their 2021 NFL draft picks and add players to round out the roster, something that will eat up quite a bit of money from that cap total. However, the renegotiated contracts give the Ravens some spending money if they’re interested in signing some more players in free agency.
With Baltimore showing some interest in players like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kenny Golladay, and Sammy Watkins, that additional cap space could allow the Ravens to make a move ahead of the 2021 NFL draft if they wish. But it could also just be a little breathing room, which the team typically likes to have entering the second wave of free agency.
Baltimore could still have some tricks up its sleeve to free up even more cap space if they fall in love with a free agent or can acquire someone via trade. Players like left tackle Ronnie Stanley and cornerback Marlon Humphrey have contracts that are perfect for restructures, which could create roughly $7 million in additional cap space.
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