Latest news with #Ravens'
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Highlights from Week 1 of Baltimore Ravens OTAs
Highlights from Week 1 of Baltimore Ravens OTAs Baltimore took the field at the Under Armour Performance Center on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and we're looking at Ravens' highlights from the first week of OTAs OTAs aren't mandatory, and after Baltimore's MVP candidate was absent for Day 1, he made his debut in front of the media for the start of Day 2 and wowed fans on Day 3. Lamar Jackson was back at the Under Armour Performance Center on Wednesday, and the place was buzzing as the MVP candidate looked sharp and in elite shape during his first practice. The training programs are divided into three phases: one mandatory minicamp for the entire roster and one rookie minicamp for each group. No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed. Baltimore will hold seven more OTA sessions on June 3, June 5-6, June 9-12, before a Mandatory Minicamp on June 17-19. With the team off until Tuesday, here are the top highlights from Week 1.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
DeAndre Hopkins has seemingly found the fountain of youth at Ravens OTAs
DeAndre Hopkins has seemingly found the fountain of youth at Ravens OTAs It's early, but DeAndre Hopkins is already one of the nice surprises from the Ravens' summer workouts. There can't be any other logical explanation. There must be a fountain of youth in Charm City. Its river must flow through the Baltimore Ravens headquarters. How else could Ed Reed still perform at an elite level well into his mid-thirties? How is it possible that Ray Lewis could ignore his body's injury and spearhead a Super Bowl run at 37? Maybe the fountain isn't available to everyone. Still, it's fair to ask why John Harbaugh turns 63 in September, and he still doesn't look a day over 35. Last season, Derrick Henry, at 30, ran for 1,921 yards and a league-leading 16 rushing touchdowns. He added 193 yards and two more touchdowns on 19 receptions. Don't look now, but DeAndre Hopkins is also turning back the clock. DeAndre Hopkins's first impression at Ravens OTAs has been a good one. Look, it's only May. Yes, we're only talking about OTAs, but Hopkins is impressing early. On Day 2 of Ravens OTAs, he clocked in at 20 miles per hour, alongside Marquise Robinson and Tez Walker. Yes, we're talking about guys running around in non-contact drills with shorts on, but let's be honest. That's relatively interesting. Hopkins turns 33 years old on June 6th. This could turn out to be something special because Baltimore doesn't need him to be a workhorse. They have Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman for that, but how does one ignore the sideline catch we all witnessed on the Ravens' social media channels? For now, we'll temper the excitement. It's too early to name him a finalist for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award, but he seems like he has an ax to grind and something to prove. Knowing everything we know about him, it seems wise to jot down a few notes and revisit later. Again, it's early, but so far, so good for the old man. He's been impressive, and that's been a consistent discussion at the Under Armour Performance Center.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
John Harbaugh digs deeper into details that helped fuel Justin Tucker's release
John Harbaugh digs deeper into details that helped fuel Justin Tucker's release John Harbaugh explains the Ravens' reasoning behind releasing Justin Tucker. For more than a dozen seasons, there was rarely a reason to discuss placekicking when mentioning the Baltimore Ravens. There was never really a reason to. They were home to one of the best, so unless Justin Tucker's brilliance was the topic of conversation, he typically went unmentioned. Few moments in football were as automatic as the Ravens' special-teams unit lining up for a field goal or extra-point try. Of course, Justin was going to come through. He always did, and after 13 seasons, he was the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Something wasn't right during the 2024 regular-season campaign, though. Something shifted. Tucker wasn't as automatic, and the 'sure thing' regressed into a weekly conversation about kicking woes. Tucker only converted 73% of his field goal attempts, the worst percentage of his career. He was released on May 5th. Now, the discussions involving the Ravens and kicking involve a battle between a sixth-round draft choice and an undrafted guy they signed after a rookie minicamp workout. We all knew head coach John Harbaugh would be asked about this fairly often, and that's been the case. Recently, the media caught up with him again at OTAs. Ravens head coach digs deeper into the circumstances involving Justin Tucker's release. A "complex decision-making process" is how Ravens head coach John Harbaugh described Justin Tucker's release. A "football move" is how it was explained, but it came during the NFL's investigation into some recent and unfortunate accusations. Tucker has publicly denied all allegations. Baltimore has chosen to move forward without him. Tucker's 13 seasons in the NFL produced five First-Team All-Pro nods, three Second-Team All-Pro mentions, and seven trips to the Pro Bowl. He's a Super Bowl champion and a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, but Baltimore will spend its summer evaluating a competition between Tyler Loop and John Hoyland.
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Ravens' John Harbaugh: Cutting Justin Tucker was 'complex decision'
Harbaugh acknowledged releasing Tucker came at the end of "a complex decision-making process" but continued to insist it was a football decision. "I mean, you're talking about arguably the best kicker in the history of the game," Harbaugh told reporters after Baltimore's second OTA session of the offseason. "And like we said, it's multi-layered, it's complicated. But in the end, it all comes back to what you have to do to get ready for your team to play the first game." "I think if you step back and you take a look at all the issues and all the ramifications, you can understand that we've got to get our football team ready and we've got to have a kicker ready to go," Harbaugh added. "And that was the move that we decided to make. So in that sense, it's a football decision." Tucker spent 13 total seasons as the Ravens' top kicker after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He was named an All-Pro first teamer five times during his career and wrapped up his time in Baltimore having made an NFL-record 89.103% of his field goal attempts. The Ravens are having two rookies - Tyler Loop and John Hoyland - compete to replace Tucker. Loop holds the distinction of being the first kicker ever drafted by the Ravens after they spent a sixth-round pick on the Arizona product. Meanwhile, Hoyland signed as an undrafted free agent out of Wyoming. Harbaugh - who spent nine seasons as the special teams coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1998 to 2006 before becoming Baltimore's coach in 2008 - noted the Ravens are planning "to spend all of our focus and our time to get these kickers ready." "We've got a competition going on and [we've got to] get these guys ready to make kicks," Harbaugh said. "So that's all I'm thinking about. From my perspective, it's like, 'We have to have a kicker out there making kicks,' and what's the best way to get that done?"
USA Today
5 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Former agent examines the tremendous leverage Lamar Jackson has in Ravens' contract talks
Former agent examines the tremendous leverage Lamar Jackson has in Ravens' contract talks Former sports agent and CBS sports analyst Joel Corry says Lamar Jackson can justify $65.5 million to $67 million per year for a contract extension he signs with Ravens this year Lamar Jackson is a two-time NFL MVP and arguably should have won the award in 2024. Baltimore's 2025 NFL season is quickly approaching, and the Ravens' focus has shifted to reshaping the roster and preparing for a juggernaut of a schedule. The Ravens have made fifth-year option decisions on Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum, while Jackson will have a cap hit of over $70 million for the 2026 season. During March's NFL owners' meetings in Florida, head coach John Harbaugh confirmed that Jackson is due for a new deal that will once again make him the highest-paid player in NFL history. Former sports agent and CBS Sports lead analyst Joel Corry masterfully broke down the leverage Jackson again holds over the franchise with his 2026 and 2027 cap hits being unworkable for the organization. The Ravens have more urgency for a new deal than Jackson although he has dropped to the NFL's 10th-highest-paid player after Brock Purdy's recent five-year, $265 million contract extension, averaging $53 million per year, with the San Francisco 49ers. Patience can be Jackson's best friend because his salary cap number jumps from $43.5 million in 2025 to an unmanageable $74.5 million in 2026 and also in 2027. The $74.5 million is 2026's third highest cap number. Fortunately for Jackson, Harbaugh conceded at the league meetings that Jackson was going to be put back at the top of the NFL salary hierarchy with his next contract. "The value is the top," Harbaugh said. "When Lamar gets paid, he's going to be the highest-paid player in football, just like he was last time. I think every contract he signs till he decides to hang up his cleats, he's going to be that guy." These dynamics give Jackson, who represents himself and has never had an agent, significant leverage in negotiations. He shouldn't think about twice about using the existing circumstances to his advantage. As Corry pointed out, Jackson just finished the second year of a five-year, $260 million contract signed with the Baltimore Ravens on May 4, 2023. Of this, $185 million is guaranteed, of which $135 million was fully guaranteed at signing. As of this article, Jackson is the 10th highest-paid quarterback in the NFL after Brock Purdy's new contract. Corry highlighted that based on recent trends with Dak Prescott and Josh Allen, Jackson can justify $65.5 million to $67 million per year" for a contract extension he signs in the coming months. With inflation and an adjustment for the 24.2% increase of the salary cap since he signed in 2023, Jackson could command upwards of $64.5 million per year.
