Despite future contract questions, Ravens' first week of camp has been drama-free

New York Times

26-07-2025

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy chose his words carefully on Thursday. The 34-year-old wouldn't say whether retirement was a strong consideration this offseason. He'd only describe his offseason as 'interesting,' but even when pressed, he didn't provide a whole lot of details to explain why.
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'I wouldn't go into that,' Van Noy said when asked specifically about whether he thought of retiring. 'There's just other situations where I feel like I'm very valuable, and some people think I'm more valuable than others.'
It's not hard to read between the lines here. With his 12 1/2 -sack season last year, Van Noy thoroughly outperformed the two-year, $9 million contract he signed in April 2024. A first-time Pro Bowler last season who has 21 1/2 sacks since joining the Ravens during Week 4 of 2023, Van Noy has been one of the better bargains in the NFL. His base salary is just $2.75 million this year, and his cap number is $6.1 million.
To what extent, if any, Van Noy and his agent lobbied for a contract bump is unclear. He hasn't griped publicly and showed up to training camp earlier this week ready to work.
'I'm here, it's good,' Van Noy said. 'I'm just grateful to be with my teammates. The end is closer than the beginning, right? I know that. I think everybody knows that, but I can play as long as I want to. That's my mindset. I thought about a lot this offseason, and I'm just grateful to continue to play. My body is still good, and I can still play at a high level.
'I really think I'm one of the best in the league. My stats show it the last two years. I'm top 10 in a lot of stuff. I still go under the radar, which is fine. I've just got to keep waking people up, and I'm grateful to do it with people that feel the same way, that have the same mindset.'
Van Noy's approach is shared by numerous Ravens on the roster. They have a host of starters and standout players either entering their contract years or worthy of extensions or bumps. However, general manager Eric DeCosta is also somewhat limited in what he can do, given the organization's lack of salary-cap flexibility.
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Quarterback Lamar Jackson's cap number swells to $74.5 million next year, so he's the biggest domino when it comes to contract decisions for the Ravens. They'll need to either rework or extend his current deal to have any flexibility to make moves next offseason.
The list of pending free agents includes all three of the team's tight ends (Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar), two-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, starting nose tackle Travis Jones, and returning double-digit sackers Van Noy and Odafe Oweh. There are others, too.
Yet, there have been no hold-ins, holdouts or public complaints about contracts. The Ravens' first week of training camp has been characterized by a decisive lack of drama, with Andrews setting the tone on Tuesday when he talked about the unselfishness of the team.
'I don't want to speak for everybody else. Everybody has a unique situation, but we all care about football, and we're all here,' said Ravens fourth-year safety Kyle Hamilton. 'We try our best to limit distractions, and business is business. It is a business that we play in, so stuff happens sometimes, but we're all here. We all just want to play football.'
The Ravens picked up Hamilton's fifth-year option, so he's under contract through the 2026 season. However, as one of the top safeties in the sport, Hamilton's price figures only to rise the longer it goes before he's extended.
On the same day Hamilton's option was picked up, the Ravens announced that they were declining Linderbaum's fifth-year option. But they were still interested in extending the center's contract. With the start of the regular season six weeks away, the clock is ticking. Linderbaum said he'd let his agent Neil Cornrich handle the talks.
'My job is to be as prepared as possible and get this football team ready to go Week 1,' Linderbaum said Friday. 'That's all I'm really worried about.'
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Linderbaum was a fixture at the facility during the offseason, attending the voluntary workout program and organized team activities. Asked what compelled him to go that route despite his contract uncertainty, Linderbaum said, 'I need to work on my craft and I need to get better.'
• Friday's practice standout was second-year cornerback Nate Wiggins, who was all over the field. Wiggins broke up two passes and had tackles for losses on back-to-back plays.
First, Wiggins got a jump on Cooper Rush's screen pass to Anthony Miller. He probably could have intercepted the ball, but to avoid a collision, Wiggins settled for touching Miller down behind the line of scrimmage. On the very next play, Wiggins broke through and brought down Justice Hill for a loss on a running back sweep.
In full-team work, Wiggins was trailing Rashod Bateman, but Jackson's pass was slightly underthrown, allowing Wiggins to get back in the play and break it up. Matched up against Bateman again later in practice, Wiggins cut in front of the receiver and deflected a Jackson pass as his helmet was coming off. Wiggins punctuated the play by joining fellow cornerback Jaire Alexander in doing Alexander's seatbelt celebration.
'I think he's going to be one of the best in the league. I'm kind of throwing that out a lot today, but I truly believe that,' Hamilton said. 'Nate is one of those guys who is not afraid to line up against whoever. Nameless, faceless opponent, line it up and let's run it. I think he's probably going to have one of the bigger jumps from last year to this year than anybody on the team.'
.@WigginNathaniel on fuego pic.twitter.com/PRE2gbnHdx
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 25, 2025
• On a day when the Ravens' offense had trouble getting anything going and Jackson struggled with his accuracy, rookie sixth-round pick Tyler Loop provided one of the lone non-defensive highlights. Getting his turn in the kicking competition with fellow rookie John Hoyland, Loop ended a perfect 10-for-10 day on field goal attempts with a flourish.
Loop was good with plenty of room to spare on a 63-yard field goal, earning loud cheers from the crowd and a high-five from coach John Harbaugh. Loop was good on his previous nine attempts, too, but they were all from 43 yards and in. He did hit a 68-yarder later in practice during a non-team portion.
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• A day after missing practice with leg soreness courtesy of a hard landing on Day 1 of training camp, veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins returned to the field and made a few catches. His best was a sliding reception while being closely defended.
Veteran receiver Keith Kirkwood was the lone new practice absence. Undrafted rookie running back Marcus Major left practice just before it ended and was flanked by two members of Baltimore's medical team. It was unclear what was ailing him, but the Ravens have only four other running backs on the roster and might have to make a move to add another ball carrier to get them through the preseason if there are injuries at the position.
• Running back Keaton Mitchell continues to look elusive. On his short touchdown run late in practice, Mitchell showed his patience by staying behind a blocker before popping outside, where he had a clear path to the end zone.
Mitchell has had a few drops early in camp, but from a speed and explosiveness perspective, he looks far ahead from where he was last season after he returned from a major knee injury.
(Photo of Kyle Hamilton: Stephanie Scarbrough / Associated Press)