The Ravens signed nose tackle Travis Jones to a new three-year contract extension on Dec. 11, retaining another of their own players before he hits free agency in the spring.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the team, but NFL Network reported that it was worth $40.5 million with $25 million guaranteed.
“It was exciting,” Jones said as he met with the media after practice a few hours after signing the deal. “My mom was in town, luckily, so she was out here with me, and I am just happy to get it done.”
According to The Athletic, the NFL Players Association had filed a grievance with the Ravens on behalf of Jones related to whether one of his previous seasons would count toward free agency, and the hearing was scheduled for Dec. 11. Before the hearing, the two sides worked out the new deal, and one of the anchors in the interior of the Ravens defense is now under contract through 2028.
Jones, a third-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Connecticut, is a 6-foot-4, 341-pound mass in the middle of the defense that can clog running lanes, take on double-teams and affect the passing game up the middle. He has played in 12 of 13 games this year with 34 tackles, 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hits. He also forced and recovered a fumble against Cincinnati two weeks ago. He’s missed just three games in four seasons.
“I think Travis Jones is one of the most underrated defensive linemen in the National Football League,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “He’s earned it. Travis shows up every single day, [and] he works his butt off.”
“This dude can run and change direction at a high level and he’s strong, probably — if not the strongest person — one of the strongest people on the team,” Orr added. “And so, it is just amazing to see him move out there with his strength, power, speed and quickness.”
Jones’ presence has become even more valuable since Pro Bowl defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike was sidelined after just two games with a neck injury, and his long-term future remains unclear.
Jones is the second major pending free agent re-signed by the team in the past two weeks; tight end Mark Andrews signed an extension last week.
The Ravens still have roughly 20 players who are set to hit free agency in the spring, including Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard, tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, edge rushers Dre’Mont Jones and Kyle Van Noy and punter Jordan Stout.
Compounding what could be an offseason of upheaval in the organization, quarterback Lamar Jackson’s salary cap hit is set to soar to more than $74 million next season, which will require some reworking if general manager Eric DeCosta wants to have any flexibility to build the rest of the roster.
Before that, though, the Ravens are fighting for their lives this season. They take a 6-7 record to Cincinnati (4-9) this weekend to face a Bengals team that beat them, 32-14, at M&T Bank Stadium on Thanksgiving night.
Viewed as a Super Bowl favorite before the season began, the Ravens stumbled to a 1-5 start, then won five in a row before dropping back-to-back divisional games to Cincinnati and the first-place Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6). The game against the Bengals has pretty much become a must-win scenario for a Ravens team that still must face New England (11-2) and travel to Green Bay (9-3-1) before visiting Pittsburgh in the regular-season finale.
“We are obviously not in a position we would like to have been in, but we still have an opportunity to go win the AFC North and get into the playoffs,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “So, we still control our destiny, and that’s not going to change where our mindset is: Win, and we’re in, from here on out. So, that’s something we can control and something we have to go do.”
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