With the Ravens turning the page and making plans for the 2025 offseason, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. All the hype about the divisional round being a legacy game for Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen was always tempered by the inevitability of Kansas City waiting in the AFC title game. Both quarterbacks and their teams continue to chase Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Nothing else really matters.
2. Though expecting another record-setting campaign might be unrealistic, keeping Todd Monken is an encouraging start to the offseason. Recognizing that Jackson had outgrown the Greg Roman offense a couple years wasn’t that tough, but finding a good fit was critical. The Ravens did that and then some.
3. Asked last week about entering the final year of his contract, John Harbaugh expressed happiness with the organization and cited his faith in saying, “I’m not worried about those kinds of things. They take care of themselves.” I’d be surprised not to see an extension in the coming months.
4. Ronnie Stanley started every game and was a Pro Bowl injury replacement, but he will be 31 in March, carries an extensive injury history, and could be in relatively high demand as a free agent. Is there a number that makes sense for Baltimore without taking on too much risk?
5. Stanley’s status made the development of Roger Rosengarten that much more important. Whether he stays at right tackle or flips to the left side, Rosengarten needs to be an anchor — along with Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, of course — for an offensive line that could undergo substantial change once again.
6. The in-season secondary shuffling paid off, but adding a safety should be an objective to free up Kyle Hamilton to return to being more of a Swiss army knife. Given Ar’Darius Washington’s emergence, a Marcus Williams-like free-agent investment may not be necessary, but Baltimore must do better than Eddie Jackson.
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7. The likely departure of Brandon Stephens also leaves the Ravens lighter at outside cornerback, which is more reason to have the flexibility to deploy Hamilton at nickel and play Marlon Humphrey outside more often. Still, adding another Day 2 or early Day 3 corner in the draft would make sense.
8. An annual offseason topic, edge rusher is a position Eric DeCosta has generally been able to make work. Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh had strong seasons, but how would a true game wrecker impact these agonizing postseason losses in which the defense hasn’t been able to force a turnover?
9. Will we see contract extensions for Hamilton or Linderbaum this offseason? For what it’s worth, the NFL’s highest-paid safety is Tampa Bay’s Antoine Winfield at just over $21 million per season. Meanwhile, Kansas City center Creed Humphrey makes $18 million per year. These deals certainly won’t be cheap.
10. Though not confirmed by the team, reports of inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone not returning for 2025 aren’t surprising. Trenton Simpson being benched and Roquan Smith not exactly playing like a $100 million linebacker in pass coverage weren’t particularly good looks for DeLeone.
11. Given the post-2025 contract status of Travis Jones, the age of Michael Pierce and Brent Urban, and the up-and-down play of Broderick Washington, DeCosta targeting a defensive lineman relatively early in the draft seems like a solid bet. I’d anticipate efforts to extend Jones, of course.
12. The window remains wide open with a healthy Jackson, but veterans like Van Noy and Derrick Henry will be another year older, younger players will become more expensive, and the health enjoyed these last two seasons can’t be duplicated every year. Such realities won’t be fun to ponder all offseason.
