Tag: Marlon Humphrey contract

With Marlon Humphrey extension, Ravens have stout secondary locked up for years

The Baltimore Ravens have arguably the most talented secondary in the NFL, locking it up for years with Marlon Humphrey’s contract extension

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Cornerback Marlon Humphrey is the latest Baltimore Ravens player to get inked to a contract extension. The five-year, $98.75 million deal will keep Humphrey under contract with Baltimore through 2026, giving the Ravens one of the best cornerbacks in the league for the foreseeable future. It points to a bigger picture for Baltimore, as well.

Humphrey joins teammates cornerback Marcus Peters and safety Chuck Clark in getting a recent extension. Peters and Clark are currently signed through 2022 and 2023 respectively, giving the Ravens one of the most talented secondaries in the league for quite some time.

Since Baltimore put Clark in the starting lineup and traded for Peters, they’ve been outstanding when defending the pass. In 14 games (13 regular-season games and one playoff game), the Ravens have allowed an average of just 184.79 passing yards per game. That would have ranked third in the NFL last season and second this season, despite playing solid passing offenses like the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, and New England Patriots over that stretch.

It’s a continued emphasis on defending the pass from Baltimore, something that’s clearly needed in today’s game. As the NFL has altered the rulebook more in favor of the offense, teams have responded by throwing the football more than ever before. It’s fairly routine to see a few quarterbacks with over 5,000 passing yards in a season, and three-plus passing touchdown games are an every-week occurrence this year alone.

To even have a shot at countering these types of high-flying offenses, defenses need a stout secondary with at least two solid cornerbacks and a capable safety. The Ravens have found that in Humphrey, Peters, and Clark while hoping players like Anthony Averett, Tavon Young, and DeShon Elliott can grow into the next batch of top defenders. It’s not an undefeated group, as evidenced by Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs, but that long-term pairing of defensive backs alone will help keep Baltimore competitive in the NFL for years.

Ravens players congratulate, tease Marlon Humphrey after big contract extension

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey had his teammates celebrating and praising him after his big contract extension.

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Cornerback Marlon Humphrey is the latest Baltimore Ravens player to get a big contract extension. Baltimore signed Humphrey to a five-year extension worth $98.75 million that will keep him locked up through 2026.

Few people are happier for Humphrey than his own teammates. Other Ravens players took to social media to congratulate and even poke a little fun at their new very rich teammate. Let’s see what they had to say about Humphrey’s contract.

Quarterback Robert Griffin III, defensive tackle Calais Campbell, and fellow cornerback Tavon Young gave Humphrey a big pat on the back.

But it wouldn’t be this team without a little joking around. Fullback and all-around weapon Patrick Ricard congratulating Humphrey using a nickname the Pro Bowl cornerback hasn’t been terribly fond of. Running back Mark Ingram made sure to inform Ricard he’s gonna get that block button treatment for at least a day.

Kicker Justin Tucker and safety DeShon Elliott were all about Humphrey getting that bag.

It didn’t take long for Humphrey to get his first loan request with linebacker L.J. Fort jokingly asking to hold a little something now that he’s got a fat bank account.

No matter which Ravens players popped up to say something, or whether they had jokes or just praise, this goes to show that family atmosphere Baltimore tries to have in the locker room. These guys are all joking around and having a good time with one another while showing respect to one of their own getting rewarded.

Ravens to pick up CB Marlon Humphrey’s 5th-year option

According to Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, picking up CB Marlon Humphrey’s 5th-year option for 2021 is just a formality.

The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the best teams in the NFL largely because of their ability to scout and draft good prospects. They continued that legacy by selecting cornerback Marlon Humphrey in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Having finished up his third season in the league, Baltimore has to make a decision on whether they’ll pick up his fifth-year option this offseason.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said it was just a formality at this point and that the team will exercise the option, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

All players selected in the first round have fifth-year options available to their respective teams. Given the weight of first-round selections in the draft, the fifth-year option allows teams to keep those valuable players around for another year. The downside is that fifth-year options end up being a really expensive single year, meaning that teams have to carefully figure out if a player is worth the extra cap hit.

Baltimore was expected to exercise Humphrey’s fifth-year option, making DeCosta’s proclamation not that shocking. Considering he became one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks last season, using the fifth-year option will give DeCosta and the Ravens a little more time to work on a contract extension before he’s set to hit free agency.

Humphrey earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro nominations for the 2019 season. While Humphrey didn’t have a ton of interceptions, he was the most consistent defensive player on the field for Baltimore and helped carry the Ravens’ defense for the first few weeks. Humphrey came up with several key plays at the right time, including a forced fumble and recovery on Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in Week 5 that propelled Baltimore to an overtime win.

It’s unclear how much Humphrey’s fifth-year option will cost for the 2021 season but it’s expected to be a steep discount from what top cornerbacks make.

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