BALTIMORE – Justin Madubuike said last month that Baltimore “is home.” Friday, the Ravens and their star defensive tackle made sure it stays that way.
Madubuike agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Ravens worth a reported $98 million, which includes $75.5 million in guarantees and $53.5 million at signing, according to ESPN. The announcement came just two days after the Ravens issued the franchise tag for the 26-year-old and keeps a key piece of their defense with the organization for the foreseeable future.
“Justin is one of the best defensive tackles in the entire NFL and a cornerstone on our defense,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “We are thrilled for Justin and his family and equally happy for our fanbase. This is a great way to start the new league year.”
It also helps the salary-cap strapped Ravens tremendously.
Madubuike was due to make just over $22.1 million had he played on the franchise tag, putting the Ravens about $10 million over the cap with the start of the new league year less than a week away. While the breakdown of the deal was not announced, it’s expected that his 2024 salary cap hit will be much lower, perhaps around $12 million.
The deal comes after Madubuike, a 2020 third-round draft pick out of Texas A&M, broke out with a team-high 13 sacks in 2023. That was also tops among all interior linemen in the NFL this past season and Madubuike was selected to his first Pro Bowl and named second-team All-Pro.
In terms of average annual salary, he also becomes the second-highest paid interior defensive lineman in the league, behind only the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald ($31.67 million per year), though pending free agents Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins could surpass those numbers in the coming days.
But signing Madubuike, who has improved each year and has grown into one of the game’s most disruptive players at the position against the pass as well as the run, was always a top priority for Baltimore.
His 13 sacks also tied a franchise single-season record for a defensive tackle and he was the first Raven to reach double digits in sacks since Terrell Suggs in 2017. His streak of 11 straight games with at least half a sack also tied the NFL’s single-season record, with the Ravens becoming the first team in the modern era to lead the league in sacks, takeaways and points allowed per game.
Madubuike also had 64 quarterback pressures last season, according to Next Gen Stats, which tied for the second most of any Ravens player since 2016, and he finished with 56 tackles, including 12 for loss, and 33 quarterback hits. In his four years in Baltimore, he has 21 1/2 sacks and 153 tackles.
“It’s not surprising,” coach John Harbaugh said in December of Madubuike’s breakout season. “You saw it all through the years, but you saw it in training camp – we all did. He works hard every day. He’s humble, he’s determined, he’s confident, and he wants to be the best player he can be. He plays for his team. There’s nothing about him that isn’t an A-plus, and to see him have that kind of success, that’s awesome.”
Had Madubuike played on the tag, the Ravens would have been severely limited this offseason with more than 20 of their players due to hit free agency next week. But the Ravens have now reached extensions with seven of the nine players they have tagged in franchise history.
Signing Madubuike to a long-term deal had long been a goal of DeCosta’s, dating to before the start of last season.
“Everybody goes through a contract year,” Madubuike said in August. “You just put your head down and work, put your head down and work, put your head down and work. I feel like the more you think about it, the more it becomes a distraction. If you just put your head down and work, I feel like everything is going to work itself out in the end.”
Now that it has, the Ravens and DeCosta can turn their attention to the several holes they have at other positions, most notably offensive line, running back, outside linebacker and cornerback.
With the NFL’s legal tampering period beginning Monday and free agency officially opening Wednesday at 4 p.m., they will be busy. Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley and Tony Pollard are just a few of the big-name running backs expected to hit the open market, and with just two running backs currently signed, Baltimore will bolster the position through free agency and the draft.
But their first wave of decisions is at least out of the way, with the Ravens two weeks ago agreeing to an extension with veteran wide receiver Nelson Agholor and now signing a cornerstone of their defense for four more years.
