The Ravens’ time to win a championship is now. That expectation has largely followed the team every year since 2019, when Lamar Jackson took over as the franchise cornerstone. But now, with an aging core, questions about Jackson’s future and a roster loaded with bloated contracts, the Ravens face additional pressure to make it work with this collection of stars.
The Ravens are still leaning heavily on veterans like Ronnie Stanley, Derrick Henry, Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey and now Trey Hendrickson. How long can they be expected to produce at a high enough level to compete for playoff berths every year? This season could be the last year before a significant retooling to shed past-their-prime veterans and give larger roles to more untested players.
Here is an analysis of the Ravens’ top 12 contracts for 2026 according to their salary cap hit and each player’s long-term future with the team.
Lamar Jackson
Week 1 age: 29
2026 cap hit: $34.4 million
Under contract through 2027
Jackson is the engine of the team, but his cap number will balloon to about $84 million in 2027 unless he signs an extension. The Ravens wanted to get a deal done before free agency and the draft, as owner Steve Bisciotti said in a news conference in January. It’s likely Jackson wants to wait as long as possible to sign a deal to let the quarterback market value continue to increase around him, but the lack of certainty must leave the organization nervous.
Roquan Smith
Week 1 age: 29
2026 cap hit: $32.7 million
Under contract through 2027
Smith has been a defensive cog for the Ravens, but he took a step back last year with an inconsistent campaign compared to his first 2.5 years in Baltimore. He even admitted the season wasn’t to his own standard when speaking to the media at minicamp. Meanwhile, he is the third-highest paid inside linebacker in the NFL. If he has another down year in 2026 relative to his salary, he could be a cap casualty the following offseason.
Nnamdi Madubuike
Week 1 age: 28
2026 cap hit: $29.9 million
Under contract through 2027
Madubuike’s situation has been well-documented. He’s a dominant interior defensive lineman but missed nearly all of 2025 with a career-threatening neck injury. His availability and reliability will be a giant question mark even if the team announces he’s ready to play Week 1.
Marlon Humphrey
Week 1 age: 30
2026 cap hit: $26.3 million
Under contract through 2026
One of the longest-tenured active Ravens, his performance also dipped in 2025 after an excellent 2024 in which he earned first-team All Pro honors. Humphrey was rumored to be a potential cap casualty this offseason but as it stands will play out the final year of his deal and become a free agent. The team will have a difficult decision to make about re-signing him to a short-term deal.
Trey Hendrickson
Week 1 age: 31
2026 cap hit: $15 million
Under contract through 2029
Hendrickson was just signed to be the difference-making edge rusher the Ravens have lacked the last few years. He had 35 sacks from 2023-2024 but last year had just four sacks and only played seven games due to injury. Expecting a veteran pass rusher on the wrong side of 30 to produce like he did two seasons ago is a gamble the Ravens were willing to make.
Kyle Hamilton
Week 1 age: 25
2026 cap hit: $10.7 million
Under contract through 2030
Hamilton is one Raven with a desirable age-to-contract situation. He signed a four-year extension last year that made him the highest-paid safety in the NFL, though his cap hits more than double starting in 2027. However, his production — three Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro seasons in four years — matches the investment.
Ronnie Stanley
Week 1 age: 32
2026 cap hit: $9.9 million
Under contract through 2027
The longest-tenured active Raven signed a key extension with the team last offseason. Without him, the team would have had an even deeper hole to climb out of in fixing the offensive line this year, but the Ravens will be looking for a long-term replacement at left tackle sooner than later.
Mark Andrews
Week 1 age: 31
2026 cap hit: $7 million
Under contract through 2028
The Ravens had three tight ends scheduled for free agency this offseason in Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar. They kept Andrews. They also selected two tight ends in this year’s draft. Andrews has been Jackson’s most reliable weapon for nearly a decade, but the last few years he hasn’t been able to replicate the production from back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons in 2021 and 2022.
Rashod Bateman
Week 1 age: 26
2026 cap hit: $6.2 million
Under contract through 2029
The good news: Bateman is young and signed through 2029 at a relatively cheap rate for a starting wide receiver. The bad news: He only had 19 receptions and two touchdowns in 13 games last season after an impressive 45 receptions and nine touchdowns the year prior. The Ravens can get out of Bateman’s contract after the 2027 season without significant salary cap penalties, and if he continues with pedestrian numbers the next two years, expect them to explore that option.
Calais Campbell
Week 1 age: 40
2026 cap hit: $6 million
Under contract through 2026
Campbell’s one-year contract is a low-ceiling, high-floor proposition for the Ravens. No one expects him to earn a Pro Bowl nomination. Rather, he is expected to offer depth and veteran savvy to the defense. However, given Campbell’s age and contract, the Ravens will have the same exact need next year. When speaking to the media at minicamp, Campbell said he expects this to be his last season.
Broderick Washington
Week 1 age: 29
2026 cap hit: $5.9 million
Under contract through 2026
Washington has been a useful rotational defensive lineman throughout his six years in Baltimore and was given an affordable three-year extension that began in 2024. However, he missed nearly all of last season due to injury and is in a strange limbo as it relates to his time in Baltimore. If he has a strong 2026, he may price himself out of the Ravens’ future plans, and if he plays poorly, he likely won’t be re-signed.
Derrick Henry
Week 1 age: 32
2026 cap hit: $5.6 million
Under contract through 2027
Any predictions about Henry’s decline have been proven irrelevant time and time again. Despite his incredible workload during his 10-year career and data behind running backs’ production falling off a cliff after they turn 30, Henry churned out 1,921 and 1,595 rushing yards the past two years to go along with 32 total rushing touchdowns. Still, at some point the dominance and durability will decline, and the Ravens will have tough decisions to make when Henry’s deal runs out after 2027.
One player not included above is receiver Zay Flowers. His cap hit will mushroom from roughly $4.5 million in 2026 to $27.3 million in 2027 due to his fifth-year option if an extension is not reached between the two sides.
The Ravens need players on cheaper rookie contracts to develop into difference-makers. They have drafted 31 players in the last three years. The draft class of 2026 hasn’t had any opportunities yet, but the 2024 and 2025 classes have produced few starters and no Pro Bowls.
An NFL team’s ability to compete year after year is largely based on the cycle of developing their young draft picks into above-average starters. Players like cornerback Nate Wiggins, offensive lineman Roger Rosengarten and safety Malaki Starks have flashed for periods of their young careers, but none have taken the necessary leap to lead their position groups.
Every NFL team has significant turnover year to year, but the Ravens have a deep collection of key starters with enormous question marks after the 2027 season. And until they can do something about Jackson’s future $84 million cap hit, even next year’s roster-building will be somewhat hobbled.
The Ravens are one of the best franchises in the NFL when it comes to stability and continuity, so their track record suggests they will be able to manage turnover and compete, but the championship window of their veteran core is narrowing.
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox
Originally published June 24, 2026