Knee-Jerk Reactions: Ravens Again Raided in Initial Free Agency Frenzy

Day 1 of the NFL’s Legal Tampering Window opened today, and as usual there was an immediate flurry of activity. The Ravens made a signing (OL John Simpson), but also lost several free agents, including Isaiah Likely, Tyler Linderbaum, Charlie Kolar, and Jordan Stout. We also learned that they are opting to non-tender Keaton Mitchell.

RSR staff react to all the moves here.

In asking around, it sounds like Ravens max offer to retain C Tyler Linderbaum was four years for $88 mill. Linderbaum got 3 years for $81 million.
So the APY was obviously way higher than they were willing to go, but the three-year term was just as problematic, if not more so.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) March 9, 2026

Chad Racine

I don’t think the Isaiah Likely signing with the Giants is surprising at all. We all knew he was gone but he essentially bet on himself and lost. His deal is very similar to Mark Andrews‘ current deal. If he would have accepted the deal the Ravens offered last year, he would have at least been with the Ravens; now he’s stuck in purgatory with the Giants. Well, at least it’s a step above the Browns.

Jordan Stout going to the Giants is somewhat surprising but John Harbaugh being the one to snag him is not. Stout had his best year last year and had Sam Koch on staff during his early tenure to help him adjust and learn from one of the best. I figured we’d have kept him for many years like we did the Wolf Pack. Sure we can save a little money but I hate to start over at punter because Stout had his early career struggles and we may be in store for that again with another possible rookie punter.

As for Dre’Mont Jones getting a decent contract for the Patriots, I say great for him, he’s earned it. After the Maxx Crosby signing there was no way we were spending anything significant on a pass rusher after that move.

John Simpson coming back is at least a move that upgrades what we had last year. At $10 million a year, it seems a little rich for an average guard, and just shows you where the market is. Speaking of the market, Tyler Linderbaum getting $81 million for three years is a contract I’m glad the Ravens didn’t match. With the money they’re saving by not paying that, they can find a reasonable alternative option. It’s looking like they’ll be able to sign a center and John Simpson for less than Linderbaum is getting by himself.

Derek Arnold

It’s an annual occurrence. Like the bears coming out of hibernation, the groundhog looking for its shadow, and the daffodils peeking through the heretofore frozen dirt, the Ravens get raided (heh) in the initial wave of free agency, while doing little of their own.

However, it feels a little different this year. Obviously, there was the huge Crosby trade that softens all the blows we’re taking this afternoon. But in addition to that, we need to remember that there’s a new coaching regime in town, and they’re not married to these players like we’re used to seeing with a Harbaugh regime well into its second decade. So guys that may have been kept in the past – I’m thinking of Stout, Mitchell, and Kolar – are let go.

Lindy is the crazy one. Not because he left, but because he got a ridiculous pay day. Good for him, but I don’t think any Ravens fan is too upset that EDC didn’t sign him for that, or anything close to it.

I’ll admit to being surprised that Likely chose to go with John to New York (Stout isn’t a shock at all).

Now I look forward to using draft picks on guys who might actually contribute somewhere other than special teams (because we’re going to need them to).

After the majority of the Ravens cupboards have finish being raided, looks like they are in line for a

3rd, 5th, 5th, and 7th https://t.co/QnBnPlEbY7 pic.twitter.com/oqPTU3EtAh

— Gully Squad (@GullySquad02) March 9, 2026

Vermont Raven

What a crazy day 1 of Legal Tampering!  Let’s break this down:

Tyler Linderbaum:  I am a huge Linderbaum and Iowa Hawkeyes fan!  I still can’t believe he got $27 million/year (50% more than the next highest paid center). Can’t blame Linderbaum for taking that deal even with a poor franchise in the Raiders.  Also, can’t blame DeCosta for not matching that deal!

Dre’Mont Jones:  I thought he’d probably be too expensive for Baltimore to re-sign, but this is more than I thought he’d get.

Jordan Stout:  Mildly surprised by this one.  Stout came into his own last year and punters aren’t overly expensive to keep.

Isaiah Likelly:  Not surprised at all.  I think we all knew he was gone when Mark Andrews signed his extension.

John Simpson:  Am I missing something here?  He looks like an average at best guard to me, and this seems like a HUGE overpay!

Jason Woolbert

Tyler Linderbaum to Raiders – 3 yr, $81M ($60M guaranteed)

I’ve got mixed feelings on this. On one hand, the Ravens officially have a bad offensive line on paper now. Their answer so far is John Simpson, and that’s not going to cut it. I can see a major step back happening for this offense, and I’m worried about Lamar Jackson getting slaughtered. On the other hand… this is a 150% bump in AAV over Creed Humphrey. Are you kidding me? Somebody tell me this is a joke. The Raiders just blew the market up and threw all the pieces into an incinerator. To put it in perspective, Linderbaum’s $27M AAV would place him among the top offensive tackle contracts, and is a little over a million less than what Maxx Crosby has left on his contract. In effect, the Ravens paid two first-round picks and Linderbaum for Crosby. Thus the mixed feelings.

Isaiah Likely to Giants – 3 yr, $40M ($7.5M incentives)

Back on Earth, Likely got about what was expected of him, which is a similar deal to what Mark Andrews signed to remain a Raven. The Ravens offered the Andrews deal to both, and Andrews took it, and Likely followed coach Harbaugh to New York for a deal with added incentives. Makes sense all around. Comp pick incoming. The TE room isn’t vacant, but the Ravens must address this position as well. Declan Doyle wants multiple TE sets.

Dre’Mont Jones to Patriots – 3 yr, $39.5M ($14.5M in first year)

The Crosby trade takes away the sting from losing any incumbent pass rushers. Jones was a shot in the arm mid season and parlayed that into a nice deal for himself. Maxx is on another level. The Ravens need to find out what was bothering Mike Green and get him going.

Charlie Kolar to Chargers – 3 yr, $24.3M ($17M guaranteed)

“Highest paid blocking TE in the NFL”, says Tom Pelissaro. Are we really breaking down contracts that specifically now? I’m talking to you, Sports Agent Steve Caric of Wasserman NFL who negotiated the deal (thank you Tom). Anyway, this is redundant with the Likely news. The Ravens went from having a stacked TE room to needing one, just like that. Expect the new guy to come from the draft.

Jordan Stout to Giants – 3 yr, $12.3M

The scouring of the 2022 draft class is complete. The Ravens were able to retain Kyle Hamilton and Travis Jones and that’s it. It was too good for their own good and they didn’t get a title out of it. Well, there is one name still out there, but the Baltimore fan base would go nuclear if he re-signs…

Keaton Mitchell not tendered

This one hurts. It tells us how tight the Ravens are against the cap. Until we get some kind of news on Lamar, the team is hamstrung. They couldn’t even afford to give Mitchell a Right of First Refusal Tender of $3.25 mil. Perhaps another team would force that first refusal, but we’ll never know. This is for a guy that can be a game changer. Very unfortunate.

Ravens sign John Simpson – 3 yr, $30M

File this under “it could be worse.” Simpson is mediocre. He was mediocre in Baltimore, then had an uncharacteristic standout season for the Jets in 2024, then returned to being mediocre. That it takes a $10M AAV contract to sign a mediocre guard says something about the current market. The Browns for example shelled out $16.5M AAV to the underachieving Zion Johnson. Agents are constantly pushing the bar higher – which is what they’re hired to do, work in the best interest of their clients. Each off-season the threshold for how much money it takes to be “overpaid” is raised, and we won’t know until the dust settles what the new water mark will be.

Side Note: Every single deal listed above is for three years. A ton of free agents are agreeing to 3-yr deals today. Is there something to this?

Rob Shields

The initial rush of free agency has passed and the Ravens have certainly been picked apart.

First of all, let’s talk about the addition of John Simpson. I must admit, I don’t love this move. He isn’t graded out well by PFF and he was underwhelming when he was here previously. On the other hand, we need to see the contract. He will never see $30M. My guess is that this is basically a one-year deal.  Still, I would have liked to have seen a better player. He is durable and the free agent o-line group as a whole isn’t good.

As for the players they lost…

Linderbaum: It sucks to lose a very good player, especially when its in the area you need the most help in. And it sounds like they tried to keep him and were willing to go very high for him. However, I am glad it didn’t happen. He just got the 6th highest AAV deal of ANY OL in the league. He is the highest paid iOL in league history. He is the best FA this year and is as sure a thing as you can get in free agency but he is not an elite talent and he is at a devalued position.

Mitchell: This move surprised me but I can also see it. First off, it matters what Doyle wants out of that position.  Secondly, you have to save money somewhere. We can’t sit here and complain about the trenches and how they need to be upgraded while also then having an expensive RB room. I still expect them to cut Justice Hill or sign him to some kind of a reduced contract. He saves $3.1M if you cut him. Now, if they keep him and chose him over Mitchell, that is a bit more of a head-scratcher, but Hill is excellent at blitz pick up and is better catching the ball, so maybe Doyle feels he needs that with his offense.

Stout: No issue at all losing him. He was very good last year but wasn’t that good prior to that.  Again, you have to save money somewhere.

Likely: No issue losing him.  Lots of talent but I question the effort and football IQ at times.  We need higher football IQ guys. And for those saying it’s the same deal as Andrews’, let’s see the numbers first. Andrews’ deal was essentially a one-year deal.  I would bet Likely’s contract isn’t as team friendly and has more guarantees.

Kolar:  I don’t like losing Kolar. I wanted to keep him over Andrews and Likely. People thought he would get the deal Adam Trautman got, as they are similar players, and then Kolar got 33% more. In a draft that is supposed to be very good for TE, especially in the middle of the draft, I get why you don’t do it.

Jones: Glad to see this guy get his money. Really liked him. Seemed to be a guarantee he would leave once they got Crosby but apparently they made a push to keep him (according to Diana Russini) but just couldn’t spend at the Pats’ level.

The Ravens have work to do. They have to improve the offensive line, they have to add depth on defense, and they need pass catchers. They have 10 picks, so some of that depth will come via trading mid-to-late round picks and from the draft itself. They will sign a few more FAs, especially guys who have been cut. However, everyone needs to calm down. It is the same thing every single year. The Ravens lose a lot of players and don’t sign hardly anyone.  Fans panic, call for EDC’s job, etc…and then they all end up looking stupid for doing so. The Ravens have also added four comp picks including a third rounder. With no first in 2027, it will be important to have these picks, especially if you want to trade up in the second round.

What I like so far is that it’s obvious the stink of the Harbaugh roster building is out of the Castle. The old Ravens would have kept Stout, for example. Clearly they wouldn’t have traded for Crosby.

We also have a new coaching staff and we need to let them get their guys, not the guys we like because they have worn a Ravens uniform. These guys know what they want. Let them do their jobs.

The post Knee-Jerk Reactions: Ravens Again Raided in Initial Free Agency Frenzy appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/03/09/knee-jerk-reactions/tyler-linderbaum-john-simpson/