With general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach Jesse Minter speaking with reporters at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, I’ve offered a dozen thoughts, each in 50 words or less:
1. DeCosta offering little of substance about contract talks with Lamar Jackson wasn’t surprising as he reiterated their “in-house” approach for such dealings. He described the franchise quarterback as “very engaged” and “a big value” in the coaching search. If each side’s motivated, hammering out an extension shouldn’t be that difficult.
2. A Jackson extension is optimal for the present and future, but I believe DeCosta when he said it’s “not necessarily” critical to Baltimore’s offseason plans. As Steve Bisciotti noted last month, restructuring the current deal creates plenty of space for 2026. But new big-picture questions would accompany such an outcome.
3. DeCosta is intentional about what he says and doesn’t say, which is why disclosing he made a “market-setting” offer to Tyler Linderbaum was significant. It serves as a public appeal both questioning how much Linderbaum wants to remain a Raven and reiterating how much the organization wants to keep him.
4. There’s wanting to keep someone and then offering a blank check because losing him isn’t an option. While DeCosta made Kyle Hamilton the highest-paid safety by a mile, he wouldn’t obliterate the market to keep C.J. Mosley despite strong efforts to re-sign him. Is Linderbaum more Hamilton or Mosley?
5. Despite a social media post or two from Nnamdi Madubuike hinting at positive developments, DeCosta and Minter remained tight-lipped on his status. We’ll see how this plays out, but persistent secrecy doesn’t give off much sense of optimism. Either way, Madubuike is guaranteed $22 million in base salary for 2026.
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6. Despite $19.25 million in non-guaranteed money owed to Marlon Humphrey, DeCosta said he expects the four-time Pro Bowl cornerback to remain in Baltimore and doesn’t “necessarily” view a contract adjustment as necessary. I’d still anticipate a pay cut with incentives that could help make Humphrey whole with a good season.
7. While DeCosta “definitely” sees Isaiah Likely returning as possible, that’s really difficult to believe considering Likely’s age and upside as a free agent and Baltimore’s decision to extend Mark Andrews as a top-10 tight end despite statistical decline. You hope Declan Doyle’s background coaching tight ends sparks an Andrews renaissance.
8. The combine isn’t a forum where head coach comments make many headlines, so it wasn’t surprising that Minter remained pretty careful in his remarks, especially when discussing players with which he’s yet to work or meet in person. Like Minter said, it “takes time to build the trust” with players.
9. DeCosta hasn’t had conversations “yet” with Roquan Smith about a contract restructure. That said, Smith’s contract has already been restructured multiple times, and I’d prefer leaving that $32.7 million cap number alone to see what he looks like in Minter’s defensive system in the penultimate year of the current deal.
10. “We certainly know that we have to augment the pass rush and improve there, and when we look at the best defenses, we see a ferocious pass rush, and that was lacking [last] year for different reasons.” We’ll see how DeCosta attacks the problem after disappointing returns in recent drafts.
11. Both DeCosta and Minter cited the impact of new offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford when discussing the revamping of that group. For all the talk about free agents and this year’s draft, getting meaningful development from some combination of Andrew Vorhees, Emery Jones, and Carson Vinson will be important.
12. DeCosta was careful discussing Jackson’s spring attendance. “Lamar’s a two-time MVP. I think he knows what it takes to get ready for the grind of the NFL season. He’s proven he can do it at a very, very high level, and I have no preference.” An NFLPA-approved answer for sure.
