RAVENS AGREE TO HUGE FOUR-YEAR, $98 MILLION DEAL WITH ALL-PRO DT JUSTIN MADUBUIKE
The Baltimore Ravens have signed franchise defensive tackle Justin Madubuike to a new contract extension, the team confirmed on Friday evening.
The Ravens had placed the franchise tag on the defensive star just three days prior and have now struck a new deal to retain him past 2024. The new extension for Madubuike is a four-year, $98 million deal that includes up to $75.5 million in total guarantees.
As per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Madubuike gets a staggering $53.5 million at signing. The blockbuster deal comes after an incredible season from the former Texas A&M Aggie. Madubuike led the Ravens and all defensive tackles in the league in sacks with 13, the highest sack total by a Ravens player in nine years, going back to when Terrell Suggs had 12 sacks in 2014.
A statement released by the team from General Manager Eric DeCosta read “We are pleased to announce a four-year extension with Justin Madubuike. Justin is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL and a cornerstone on our defense. 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!”
The 26-year-old’s deal is the latest big contract in terms of total money for a defensive lineman and surpasses Jets’ Quinnen Williams, Rams’ Aaron Donald, Titans’ Jeffrey Simmons, Washington’s Daron Payne, and Giants’ Dexter Lawrence. Madubuike’s deal also makes him the second highest paid defensive tackle in the league on average annual salary at $24.5 million, trailing only Los Angeles Rams’ three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Aaron Donald ($31.67 million).
The new deal not only offers the fourth-year defensive tackle the second biggest average annual salary in the NFL among the interior defensive linemen but also boasts the second most total guaranteed money at $75.5 million, behind Donald’s $95 million. Quinnen Williams is third on the list in terms of guaranteed money with $66 million.
As per NBC Sports’ Mike Florio, Madubuike’s base salary per year with the Ravens is expected to be $6 million in 2024, $7.5 million in 2025, $22 million in 2026 (guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2025 league year), and $18.5 million in 2027. The Texas native will also receive a $25 million signing bonus.
The Ravens were projected to be $9.927 million over the cap a few days ago with wide receiver Nelson Agholor accounted for, and are now just under the cap following Madubuike’s deal. Madubuike’s first-year cap number is estimated to be around $11 million, a significant drop from the franchise tag’s $22.1 million cap hit this year. The Ravens did not need to be under the cap until Wednesday, March 13th.
Baltimore re-signed veteran wide receiver Nelson Agholor on a one-year, $3.75 million deal last month, bringing him back following a standout performance in 2023 in which Agholor contributed the second most receiving touchdowns amongst the team’s receivers (4).
Madubuike’s new contract was well received in the Ravens’ locker room with multiple players including Lamar Jackson, Marlon Humphrey, and Malik Cunningham chiming in on the news on Friday evening. Soon-to-be free agents Patrick Queen, Kyle Van Noy, and Geno Stone also congratulated “Beeks” on getting a deal he so richly deserved.
“Beeekkkssssss. Dinner on you this time, buddy,” wrote linebacker Patrick Queen on X. Queen, himself, is due for a huge payday in free agency. “Man, talk about happy for somebody bruh. We talked about this every day. He definitely got what he wanted.”
With Madubuike’s deal now done, much of the remaining focus in the league in terms of interior defensive linemen contracts will now shift to Kansas City Chiefs’ DT Chris Jones and Miami Dolphins’ DT Christian Wilkins. Both players are set to enter the free agent market on Wednesday. The Dolphins declined placing the franchise tag on Wilkins last week.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.