NFL free agency is back in full swing. The Ravens, already an offseason Super Bowl favorite for next season, have business to take care of. They just don’t have much spending power.

“We don’t have a lot of [salary] cap room,” general manager Eric DeCosta said at the NFL scouting combine last month. “We’re not a team that’s going to make a lot of splashes, generally speaking.”

The Ravens’ biggest splash came on the eve of free agency, when they agreed to terms with left tackle Ronnie Stanley on a three-year, $60 million extension. But more roster moves are sure to follow.

We’ll update this post as news trickles in about players leaving, joining or returning to the Ravens.

QB Cooper Rush → Ravens

The Ravens have found a new backup for quarterback Lamar Jackson, agreeing to a two-year deal with Rush, his agency announced Sunday.

Rush’s deal is reportedly worth up to $12.2 million, with a $3.1 million annual base salary. Because Rush was not released, his signing could count against the Ravens in the compensatory-pick formula for next year’s draft.

Rush, 31, is far from the scrambling threat that Jackson is, but he gives the Ravens a younger, more mobile backup than Josh Johnson, 38. Over eight starts last season for the Dallas Cowboys, Rush completed 60.7% of his 308 passes for 1,844 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions, all career highs, good for an 83.8 passer rating.

G Ben Cleveland ↔ Ravens

The Ravens announced they are bringing back Cleveland, giving them depth at guard behind Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees.

Baltimore has lost two offensive linemen this offseason in starting left guard Patrick Mekari, who signed a three-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and backup Josh Jones, who landed with the Seattle Seahawks.

The signing comes nearly a month after Cleveland was arrested in Georgia and charged with DUI after police determined his blood-alcohol level to be 0.178 — more than twice the legal limit. He received a citation for failure to maintain his lane as well, according to documents obtained from the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office.

A former third-round pick out of the University of Georgia, Cleveland has played 54 games with the Ravens, primarily as a backup. He has started seven games in his career and played only 49 offensive snaps in 2024, down significantly from 2023. He did contribute a blocked field goal on special teams in the Ravens’ Week 6 win over the Washington Commanders.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Faalele is expected to start again in 2025, and Vorhees is the favorite to replace Mekari. But Cleveland’s return bolsters the depth of a group the Ravens are expected to address further in the draft.

WR Tylan Wallace ↔ Ravens

Wallace, who’s returning to Baltimore on a one-year deal reportedly worth $2.25 million, showed his value in 2024. In the final year of his rookie contract, Wallace finished with 11 catches on 12 targets for 193 yards and a touchdown, all career highs. Wallace was also fifth on the team in special teams snaps.

The 2021 fourth-round pick will face another crowded wide receiver room in Baltimore. Even with the likely departure of Nelson Agholor, Wallace is behind Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and now DeAndre Hopkins on the depth chart. He’ll also have to compete for snaps with the speedy Devontez Walker and potentially a draft pick or two.

S Marcus Williams cut

The Ravens made Williams the highest-paid safety in the league in 2022. And three seasons later they cut him.

On Wednesday, three months after Williams played his final game for the Ravens (a single snap in Week 12 vs. the Los Angeles Chargers), the Ravens announced they’d released the 28-year-old defensive back.

The Ravens are expected to designate Williams as a post-June 1 release, an accounting mechanism that allows teams to spread out dead money (money paid to the player that a team hasn’t accounted for against its salary cap) across two seasons. The Ravens created $9.9 million in 2025 cap space when they reworked his deal in January, and with a post-June 1 release, they’d free another $2.1 million in space on June 2.

The Ravens’ pass defense struggled mightily to start last season, allowing one big play after another. Williams was benched in Week 8, and Ar’Darius Washington took over the starting job and kept it for the rest of the season.

LB Jake Hummel → Ravens

Hummel, a special teams staple for the Los Angeles Rams last season, will help fill the hole created by the departures of linebackers Chris Board and Malik Harrison. Terms of the one-year deal were not disclosed.

Hummel, 26, played 41 games over three years with the Rams, almost exclusively on special teams. He earned 338 special teams snaps in 2024 (77% overall) and blocked a punt against the Buffalo Bills that was returned for a touchdown in a win in December.

Hummel was undrafted out of Iowa State, where he played alongside Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar. He played 43 defensive snaps in 2023 and 74 last season for the Rams, starting one game.

DL Michael Pierce retires

Pierce announced his retirement Wednesday, closing the book on another one of the team’s biggest undrafted success stories.

“After much prayer, talking to my family, just going through the grind, man, and just being satisfied where I am, looking forward to other things in life, I just decided to call it a career,” Pierce, 32, said on the “Sports Spectrum Podcast.” “It’s been a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful nine years. I’ve had so many people help me along the way.”

Pierce played seven seasons for the Ravens, starting in Baltimore in 2016 as an overlooked nose tackle from Samford. After four seasons as a run-stuffing force, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2020 before returning in 2022. Pierce played 11 games last season, recording 19 tackles and two sacks.

Over his Ravens career, he had 218 tackles, 6.5 sacks and one memorable interception, picking off a pass in the team’s 2024 regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns. At 355 pounds, Pierce became the heaviest NFL player to record an interception since at least 2000.

“Not a lot of people felt that I could play, but [former Ravens general manager] Ozzie [Newsome] and his staff ... they gave me a chance when not many people were willing to take a chance on me, so I’m grateful to them,” Pierce said.

Pierce was entering the last year of his contract and had a base salary of $1.3 million.

Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Broderick Washington will lead the Ravens' defensive front in 2025, but with Brent Urban also a free agent, the team will need to bolster its depth in free agency and the draft.

CB Arthur Maulet cut

Arthur Maulet was a big part of the Ravens' success in 2023, bolstering the secondary’s depth and finding success in the slot. He had 37 tackles, two sacks and five pass defenses as a healthy contributor.

But Maulet underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in training camp and then was injured again three games later. Maulet’s calf injury kept him out the rest of the season. Maulet is 31.

By releasing Maulet, who was heading into the second year of a two-year contract, the Ravens created $2.2 million in cap space. Maulet becomes a free agent.

WR DeAndre Hopkins → Ravens

After a failed attempt to trade for a wide receiver at the deadline, the Ravens made their biggest free agency addition by signing five-time Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

Hopkins spent 2024 with the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs but has played most of his 12-year career with the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals. He earned Pro Bowl recognition with both teams.

Although Hopkins hasn’t been a Pro Bowler since 2020, he finished with 1,057 receiving yards in 2023 with the Titans. The Ravens also won’t rely as heavily on Hopkins as teams have in the past because they have Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.

Hopkins adds a veteran voice to the group after the loss of Nelson Agholor to free agency, and he also brings a different skill set. Hopkins can win on contested catches, giving quarterback Jackson the chance to throw more 50-50 balls.

Hopkins said in May 2023 that “I would be lying to sit here and say it wouldn’t be an honor one day ... to play with a great guy and a great quarterback like Lamar.” That day has come.

FB Patrick Ricard ↔ Ravens

The All-Pro fullback is returning to Baltimore, the team announced, on what is reportedly a fully guaranteed one-year deal.

A powerful run blocker and dependable pass blocker, Ricard has said he wants to retire with the Ravens. His last three-year deal averaged about $3.8 million annually.

With Ricard on the field last season, running back Derrick Henry thrived. According to TruMedia, Henry rushed for nearly as many yards (1,324 yards) and first downs (68) as the Las Vegas Raiders did in the 2024 regular season. He rushed for more touchdowns (15) than 14 teams. And he rushed for more yards per carry (6.2) than every team.

“I think Pat knows how we feel about him, and I would love for him to retire as a Raven, too,” DeCosta said in January. “He epitomizes everything that we’re all about. And he’s another undrafted guy who just became, in my opinion, the best at his position.”

ILB Chris Board → New York Giants

The Ravens’ special teams continuity took another hit Monday with the loss of Board, who’s reportedly joining the Giants on a two-year deal worth $6 million.

Board, 29, played more on special teams than any other Raven last season, earning over 80% of the available snaps (382 total). Linebacker Malik Harrison, who’s also leaving in free agency, was second with 336 (70.7%).

Board rejoined the Ravens last offseason for his special teams acumen but contributed on defense after the midseason demotion of starting inside linebacker Trenton Simpson. Board had 22 total tackles over the Ravens’ final six games, when he averaged 26.2 defensive snaps per game, primarily on passing downs.

“I’m just proud of those guys in how they’ve stuck with it, they stay prepared, they’ve been professionals,” special teams coordinator Chris Horton said in December of Board and Harrison. “And I think those guys are perfect examples of everybody, like, ‘I’m just doing what’s best for the team, and then when my number is called and I get my opportunity to play more, [I’m going] to go out there and play good football,’ and both of those guys are playing good football for us.”

Board earned a captain’s patch before the Ravens’ wild-card-round game against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, along with Jackson, running back Derrick Henry, tight end Mark Andrews, inside linebacker Roquan Smith and cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

LB Malik Harrison → Pittsburgh Steelers

A year after signing Patrick Queen to a three-year, $41 million deal, the Steelers on Monday turned to Baltimore for more linebacker help, reportedly agreeing to a two-year, $10 million deal with the versatile Harrison.

Harrison, 27, finished with 54 tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and three quarterback hits in 2024, all career highs. The 2020 third-round pick also finished second on the team in special teams snaps despite missing two games because of a groin injury.

Harrison played 76 games over five seasons in Baltimore, splitting his snaps between outside linebacker, where he impressed as a run defender, and off-ball linebacker. He played at least 47% of the Ravens' defensive snaps in each of their final seven games last year after Trenton Simpson’s midseason demotion.

Harrison’s exit will put pressure on the Ravens to find help at the position. Roquan Smith is one of the NFL’s best inside linebackers, but Simpson struggled in his first season as a full-time starter. Reserve Kristian Welch is set to hit the market as well.

CB Brandon Stephens → New York Jets

Stephens’ disappointing final year in Baltimore didn’t scare off the Jets, who on Monday reportedly agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal with the cornerback.

After a breakthrough 2023, Stephens entered last season on the cusp of a potentially star-making year. But the 2021 third-round pick struggled mightily in coverage, even being moved inside later in the season because of his big-play woes. According to Pro Football Focus, Stephens was targeted 96 times in coverage last season, fifth most in the NFL, and allowed 65 completions for 806 yards, second most in the league.

The durable Stephens started 48 games and appeared in 65 over his Ravens career, transitioning from a safety and special teams staple to a full-time corner in his final two years. He was the Ravens' most consistent outside cornerback in 2023 under then-defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, finishing with two interceptions and helping to lock down Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in a prime-time home win that highlighted his one-on-one skills.

Stephens’ production fell off as the Ravens’ secondary faltered early in the 2024 season, and his consistency was lacking even as their pass defense improved. Stephens’ troubles in contested-catch situations were especially notable downfield, where he allowed an NFL-worst 10 completions of at least 20 air yards, according to Sports Info Solutions.

Stephens’ departure leaves the Ravens with a hole in their secondary, but the team already has two standout cornerbacks under contract in Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins. T.J. Tampa and Jalyn Armour-Davis could also step up next season, and the team will likely address the position early in the draft.

OL Patrick Mekari → Jacksonville Jaguars

Mekari, a versatile offensive lineman who played every position in his Ravens career, is departing for Jacksonville. He agreed to a three-year, $37.5 million contract with the Jaguars on Monday, according to reports.

One of the Ravens’ undrafted rookie successes, Mekari contributed along the offensive line in each of his six seasons with the team. Although he started only a handful of games in four of those seasons, his value was in his ability to fill in wherever needed in case of injury. He played 672 snaps at left tackle, 832 at left guard, 683 at center, 272 at right guard and 1,206 at right tackle, according to PFF.

Mekari’s average annual salary more than doubles what he was making with the Ravens. On his most recent Ravens contract, a three-year extension of his rookie deal, he made an average annual salary of $5.15 million. He will make an average of $12.5 million a year with the Jaguars.

The Ravens do not have an in-house replacement for Mekari. Ben Cleveland, a depth lineman, is also a free agent. He was also recently arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

Vorhees, who played 268 snaps last season, is the favorite to take over at left guard. After re-signing tackle Ronnie Stanley, the Ravens will return all of their other starters on the offensive line.