Defensive lineman Derek Wolfe became the latest veteran player to stick with the Ravens this offseason, agreeing to a new three-year deal on Tuesday.
The contract is worth $12 million and pays the 31-year-old $6.5 million in 2021, according to NFL Network. Signing a one-year deal last March after Baltimore’s agreement with free-agent defensive tackle Michael Brockers fell through, Wolfe made a great impression with his new team as head coach John Harbaugh labeled him “one of the best leaders I’ve ever seen” after the wild-card playoff win at Tennessee. Wolfe and fellow defensive line starters Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams gelled quickly on the field and nicknamed themselves the “Monstars,” a reference to the gigantic alien villains in the movie “Space Jam.”
The 6-foot-5, 285-pound Wolfe matched his career high with 51 tackles in 14 games and embraced the role of doing the dirty work at the line of scrimmage despite collecting just one sack, a career low. With Campbell and Williams missing multiple games in the second half of the season, Wolfe anchored an undermanned defensive line and played his best football of the year. The former Denver defensive linemean repeatedly made clear his preference to remain with the Ravens, and both Wolfe and Harbaugh reminisced about hitting it off during his pre-draft visit to Owings Mills in 2012 before the Broncos ultimately selected the University of Cincinnati product in the second round of the draft.
“I would love to stay here in Baltimore. I feel like I have proven myself,” Wolfe said in late December. “When things got tough and we lost some guys, I was playing 60 snaps a game and playing at a high level I thought. I know the sack numbers aren’t there, but that’s not what this defense requires me to do is to get sacks. This defense requires me to stop the run and create opportunities for other people to get sacks. I feel like I’ve done that, and it’s in their hands.”
The first whispers of a potential extension began late last season, but a deal didn’t come together as quickly as many anticipated with Wolfe even referencing being “undervalued” on his verified Twitter account on Monday evening.
With both Wolfe and reserve nose tackle Justin Ellis re-signing this offseason, the Ravens now have every interior defensive lineman who played a snap for them last season under contract for 2021. However, age remains a long-term concern for the defensive line as all three starters and Ellis are on the wrong side of age 30 and only Wolfe is under contract beyond the upcoming season. Third-round pick Justin Madubuike looked the part of a future starter and high-impact contributor as a rookie last year, but general manager Eric DeCosta will likely want to add more long-term upside to the group at some point in next month’s draft.
In addition to Wolfe, the Ravens also announced their new contracts with outside linebackers Tyus Bowser and Pernell McPhee and inside linebacker Chris Board on Tuesday.
