Thanks in part to a reduction in the 2021 NFL salary cap, the Baltimore Ravens have been fairly quiet throughout the first wave of free agency. But after multiple attempts to land a wide receiver, the Ravens finally got their guy, signing Sammy Watkins to a one-year deal.
Watkins’ contract will pay him a fully-guaranteed $5 million with incentives that could push it up to $6 million. While it’s unclear what the incentives are exactly, it’s a pretty affordable contract for a solid veteran addition regardless. Thanks to the rule of 51, Watkins will only cost Baltimore $4.22 million in 2021. According to Over The Cap’s calculator, the Ravens now have an estimated $12.84 million in available salary-cap space.
While it’s easy to think Baltimore is rich considering they have just shy of $13 million, the rest of the offseason should eat into that number quickly. According to OTC, the Ravens’ seven draft picks will cost a combined $7.21 million to sign. Baltimore will also undoubtedly look to add some depth to the roster at a few positions in the second and third waves of free agency, likely coming after the 2021 NFL draft, and further eating into their available cap space.
While there are still a few players the Ravens could look to restructure, they’ll likely want to be pretty frugal the rest of the way unless a player becomes available in free agency or trade that they simply can’t pass up.
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