General Manager Eric DeCosta met with the media on Wednesday and touched on a variety of topics, including the team's contract negotiations with Lamar Jackson.
Jackson signed a five-year contract, reportedly worth $260 million before the 2023 season, which put him under contract through 2027. However, if the Ravens and Jackson do not reach another extension, his contract's escalation will make it more challenging to build around him.
According to Over The Cap, Jackson's salary cap hit jumps from $43.5 million last year to $74.5 million in 2026 and 2027.
Asked about negotiations on Wednesday, DeCosta said he was "optimistic" that an agreement would be reached at some point. Jackson has said multiple times that he wants to remain with the Ravens.
"I would say I'm optimistic," DeCosta said. "I feel good about it. I really don't like to get into details. I'm not going to talk about it specifically.
"Lamar and I have a pact, as you all know, I've said it probably 50 times – we're not going to talk about business publicly."
DeCosta said the Ravens would "love to get a deal done as soon as possible."
"We try to compensate our players, our best players, as well as we can," DeCosta said. "You can look at that from an average standpoint, you can look at that from a guaranteed-money standpoint, a term standpoint, incentives — whatever that is, we try to be fair plus with our players, and I think over time we have proven that for the most part. It is important to us."
Ravens Expect Nnamdi Madubuike to Play Within the Season's First Four Weeks
DeCosta believes two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike will return to action sometime prior to the end of Week 4.
Baltimore did not place Madubuike on injured reserve/designated to return, which would have required him to sit out the first four games.
Madubuike has not played since Week 2 of last season after suffering a neck injury that required surgery. However, DeCosta was even more encouraged with Madubuike's progress after watching Wednesday's practice.
"Today was a good day. I think he has been building every single day, and I am encouraged — I am as encouraged now as I have ever been about Nnamdi," DeCosta said.
"The fact that we didn't put him on IR means that we would expect him to be able to contribute soon. I'm probably more bullish on that right now than I have been. We feel really good about it. I'm pretty confident he'll be back on the field playing for us before the fourth game."
DeCosta Says Ravens Are Waiting for NFL to Complete Rashod Bateman Investigation
DeCosta said the Ravens are waiting for the NFL to complete an investigation into an alleged incident involving wide receiver Rashod Bateman. According to multiple reports, Bateman was arrested in June on family violence charges.
"It's obviously something that we're very disappointed about that we have to deal with these kind of things," DeCosta said.
"We knew about it right away. We contacted the league right away. The league has been doing an investigation, as well I suppose the authorities. In these matters we just kind of sit back and wait for the league and the authorities to tell us what's going on. I have no indication how long that's going to take."
The Ravens drafted wide receivers Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt, while young receivers Devontez Walker and LaJohntay Wester have continued to develop this summer. DeCosta is pleased with the team's depth behind Zay Flowers, pending the outcome of Bateman situation.
"I feel like we've got a young group of receivers, a group of receivers that we're excited about," DeCosta said. "A bunch of guys that can make plays. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."
DeCosta Explains Why Ravens Signed Kicker to Practice Squad Now
The Ravens signed kicker Jake Moody to the practice squad on Monday after Tyler Loop missed three of eight field goals in the preseason. Moody provides competition for Loop and insurance at the position.
"We have got to make kicks. [It gives us a] fresh set of legs to look at, evaluate, compare, see how it all works out," DeCosta said. "In the end, it is a performance business, right? [It] starts with me. We have got to do our job.
"We want to try and be consistent across the board and have competition. Looking at it this preseason, we decided it was probably worthwhile to bring somebody else in to see how they look."
Special Teams Coordinator Anthony Levine Sr. said Loop plans to respond to the challenge.
"He embraced it," Levine said. "That is one thing that you want to see from anybody. From a competitor, you want him to embrace competition, and that is what he did.
"I called him, I talked to him and I told him what was going on — that we were bringing someone in — and he already knew. He said, 'Coach, I am ready for it. I understand what is going on, and I am going to accept this challenge.'"
