OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Less than an hour before Monday’s negotiating window officially opened, general manager Eric DeCosta all but confirmed the Ravens had already made their biggest move of the offseason before the start of free agency.
And it was a critical one as Baltimore finalized its four-year, $98 million contract extension with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, making him the highest-paid defensive player in franchise history in terms of average annual value. Not only is the contract already aging favorably after being eclipsed by new deals for veteran defensive tackles Chris Jones (Kansas City) and Christian Wilkins (Las Vegas), but the signing quells uneasiness about the free-agent exodus that began Monday with running back Gus Edwards, safety Geno Stone, and wide receiver and return specialist Devin Duvernay being the first Baltimore players to find new homes.
With the Ravens tight against the salary cap entering the start of the new league year, they won’t be the last ones to exit either.
“You know you just can’t keep every single player on your team,” DeCosta said Monday morning. “That’s a frustrating aspect of this job that I have, so you have to keep your very best you can — the guys you feel most strongly about as players but also as people. … Justin is one of those types of guys. We won’t be able to do this in every single instance unfortunately, but we feel very, very good about what we did this weekend, and we’re a better football team.”
Among the best undrafted rookie signings in team history, Edwards will now join familiar faces in Los Angeles as Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz and offensive coordinator Greg Roman — two ex-Ravens — viewed the veteran back as a good fit in Jim Harbaugh’s offensive system. Coming off a season that included career highs in rushing yards (810), carries (198), and touchdowns (13), the 28-year-old Edwards will now play for the other Harbaugh brother, adding more spice to a coaching rivalry already generating buzz this offseason. The Ravens had expressed some interest in re-signing Edwards, but he was never likely to return as the primary back after averaging a career-low 4.1 yards per carry in 2023.
According to NFL Network, Stone will reportedly sign a two-year, $15 million deal with Cincinnati, which will keep him in the division after he led the AFC with seven interceptions. His first pick of the season came against Joe Burrow and the Bengals in Week 2 last year, and Stone will now have a starting role after serving as Baltimore’s No. 3 safety behind Kyle Hamilton and Marcus Williams. As DeCosta recently noted, Stone goes down as the best seventh-round pick in team history after overcoming being waived as a rookie to shine on special teams and eventually earn a prominent role on defense.
Duvernay, a two-time Pro Bowl return specialist, wasn’t expected to stay in Baltimore after playing a career-low 136 offensive snaps this past season, but Jacksonville will give him a two-year, $8.5 million contract, according to NFL Network. The 2020 third-round pick made a career-high 37 catches for 407 yards and three touchdowns in 2022 before suffering a season-ending foot injury in December, but he never found any traction in Todd Monken’s offense. Duvernay has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in his career.
No free-agent deals will become official until the start of the new league year on Wednesday afternoon.
