Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins didn't even think it was a possibility for him to team up with running back Derrick Henry and quarterback Lamar Jackson when the trio posed for a Feb. 2020 photo, which eventually served as the basis for D-Hop's now viral tweet five years ago.

"I honestly did not think that was a possibility," Hopkins told Ravens editorial director Ryan Mink.

"I was like, Derrick Henry is obviously not leaving Tennessee. Lamar's never leaving Baltimore. So it's gonna take me possibly going to either one of those places. And obviously, I went to Tennessee and Baltimore."

When the picture was taken, Hopkins was playing for the Houston Texans, while Henry was on the Tennessee Titans, who made the 2019 AFC Championship off a tremendous season from the running back (2,213 yards and 20 touchdowns, including playoffs). Jackson had just finished his first-ever NFL MVP season with the Baltimore Ravens.

Hopkins, who had completed his third-straight First-Team All-Pro season, was a month away from the Houston Texans trading him to the Arizona Cardinals. He eventually made his way to the Titans in 2023, joining Henry briefly before the running back left in free agency last offseason for Baltimore.

Hopkins started last season with Tennessee before the Titans traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs. But now he's a Raven after signing a one-year deal.

So the trio is joining forces after all, so we'll find out the answer to Hopkins' question, albeit five years later. As far as a prediction goes, Hopkins had this to say when asked.

"Hopefully enough to win a lot of games. To win the games we need to win," Hopkins said. "I don't have a number, but hopefully more than a little bit."

Baltimore won the AFC North last year with a 12-5 record before falling in the AFC Divisional round to the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens are searching for their third Super Bowl victory and first appearance in the Big Game since Feb. 2013.

Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is confident that the best is yet to come for Lamar Jackson.

"The year that he had, I think he's still just scratching the surface of where he's headed," Monken said on The Lounge Podcast (h/t Clifton Brown of the team's official website. "It may not statistically show up that way, but I know he's only scratching the surface."

Jackson has already established himself as one of the NFL's top players, earning four Pro Bowl nods and winning two MVP awards throughout the first seven years of his career.

He's coming off a 2024 season in which he made strides as a passer, finishing No. 2 in MVP voting. In 17 starts, Jackson threw for a career-high 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns while only getting picked off four times.

He also averaged a league-leading 8.8 yards per pass attempt.

Jackson remained a threat with his legs, rushing for 915 yards and four touchdowns.

As Monken prepares to enter his third season with the Ravens, he's been amazed by the signal-caller.

"He has unbelievable vision," Monken said, via Brown. "The way he sees the field and plays the game is one of one. His ability to escape. He's so calm. He jumps right, he just left, he jumps back, jumps forward, puts his hand on someone's facemask. There is no panic."

"It's fun to work with," he added.

While it'll be difficult for Jackson to improve even further upon his impressive 2024 campaign, he could take a step forward in the postseason.

The 28-year-old owns a record of just 3-5 in eight playoff starts and turned the ball over twice during a 27-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round to end Baltimore's 2024 season.

Monken has high expectations for Jackson as the Ravens look to secure a third consecutive division title and fourth straight playoff appearance in 2025.

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta discussed the input that Lamar Jackson and the rest of the team's players have on draft prospects at the 2025 NFL scouting combine on Thursday.

"I think when you've got the best in the business playing for you, it's wise to consider their opinions at different times," DeCosta told Fox Sports' Peter Schrager (1:50 mark). "I think it's a great way to build relationships with your guys. To ask them about players they might have played with, guys they've seen on TV, guys from their home towns, they feel part of the process."

DeCosta previously detailed the communication he has with Jackson, which often includes an offseason visit.

"I'll get texts from him, and there have been some years where I've gone down and visited with him," DeCosta said on Tuesday, per RavensVault's Sarah Ellison. "I'll probably do that again - take a trip down to Florida and spend some time with him."

While every Ravens player doesn't have influence on the front office's personnel decisions, the two-time MVP's opinion carries weight.

"Listen, Lamar is a stakeholder," DeCosta explained, via Ellison. "He's a partner. He's earned that right to have that type of input and opinion. A lot of guys haven't earned that right, but Lamar has earned it. It's important. it's necessary. I welcome his input."

Baltimore has proven to be adept at finding talent in the draft, building a roster that has been able to remain a postseason contender throughout Jackson's tenure. The Ravens have made the playoffs in six of the past seven seasons.

This includes Baltimore's 2024 campaign, as it finished with a 12-5 record. The Ravens had nine players voted to the initial Pro Bowl rosters, the most in the NFL.

Of those nine players, six were drafted by Baltimore. Fullback Patrick Ricard, who earned Pro Bowl recognition, was also signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017.

As the Ravens look to compete for a playoff spot once again during the 2025 season, DeCosta is open to feedback from Jackson as well as others on the team's roster once again.

Derrick Henry's first season with the Baltimore Ravens couldn't have gone much better, and the AFC North team may look to extend his contract beyond just the 2025 campaign.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Sunday that she expects the Ravens to "explore a contract extension" since there is only one year remaining on the deal. She also noted she asked the running back about it Thursday, and he said, "I love Baltimore. I want to finish my career in Baltimore."

That will be welcome news to Ravens fans, as he was dominant in 2024 with 1,921 yards and a league-best 16 touchdowns on the ground.

Opposing defenses had to pick their poison with a backfield of Henry and quarterback Lamar Jackson, as either of them are capable of taking it to the end zone on any single run. And if defensive ends or linebackers hesitate for even a second to make sure Jackson didn't keep it, Henry can blow right past them with his combination of size and speed.

Running back is not exactly the position known for long-term durability in today's NFL, but Henry appears to be quite an exception.

He is 31 years old and led the league in rushing attempts in four of the previous five seasons before he joined Baltimore. The toll of that wear-and-tear would likely be too much for most running backs to remain effective, but he is still among the NFL's best.

All he did in 2024 was average a career-best 5.9 yards per rushing attempt with the Ravens and showed no signs of slowing down.

Given that as the backdrop, it comes as no surprise Baltimore would want to bring him back.

Derrick Henry's first season with the Baltimore Ravens resulted in 1,921 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns and a playoff berth, so it shouldn't come as a major surprise that he wants to run it back beyond just next season.

"I want to retire a Raven," he told The Athletic's Dianna Russini during the NFL Honors red carpet.

Henry, 31, is only under contract through the 2025 season, though the Ravens have expressed interest in potentially exploring a contract extension.

"I think he proved he had a lot left in the tank. We'll look at that, it's a good question," general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters in January when asked if the team was considering an extension that might also reduce his $12.8 million cap hit next season. "I'm just so grateful Derrick chose us last year."

The veteran running back has proven to be quite the bargain on the two-year, $16 million deal he signed with Baltimore last offseason. His $8 million in average annual value ranks just 11th in the NFL at the running back position, per Spotrac, well below players like Christian McCaffrey ($19 million), Jonathan Taylor ($14 million) and Saquon Barkley ($12.5 million).

One concern for the Ravens when it comes to an extension is Henry's age, however. Running backs are generally in danger of losing a step and becoming less effective after the age of 30, and while Henry showed little signs of that last season, at some point the wear-and-tear on his body will take a toll.

He's led the NFL in rushing attempts in four different seasons (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023), has over 300 touches in five of the past six years and has at least 230 touches in seven straight seasons. Even in 2021 he had 221 carries in just eight games, a shocking workload in the NFL's running-back-by-committee age, before a broken bone in his foot cost him nine regular-season contests.

So any extension probably wouldn't add more than a year or two to Henry's current deal. But his epic 2024 season was proof enough that he isn't slowing down just yet.

The Baltimore Ravens saw enough from Kyle Hamilton in his first four years with the team to keep him around for at least one more year.

The Ravens exercised Hamilton's fifth-year option for the 2026 season on Wednesday, meaning he'll stay with Baltimore this year before becoming an unrestricted free agent next offseason. His fifth-year option is worth $18.6 million.

Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta said in the statement that the team's "goal" is to sign Hamilton to a multi-year contract.

The team also opted not to exercise center Tyler Linderbaum's fifth-year option, which would've been worth $23.4 million. DeCosta noted, however, that the Ravens still wants the two-time Pro Bowler to stay with the team "long term."

Hamilton has found success early on in his career after the Ravens selected the safety 14th overall in 2022. As a rookie, he recorded 62 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and five passes defended.

He followed the 2022 campaign up with an even better 2023, recording 81 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble, four interceptions and 13 passes defended. He also had the first pick-six of his career that season.

The outstanding sophomore season from Hamilton earned him First-team All-Pro honors and his first Pro Bowl appearance.

In 2024, Hamilton picked up 107 tackles, two sacks, a pair of forced fumbles, an interception and nine passes defended. He was once again a Pro Bowler and was named second-team All-Pro.

Hamilton will now head into his fourthNFL campaign hoping to put together his best year and earn a lucrative contract in free agency, whether it comes from Baltimore or somewhere else.

Ahead of their AFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken reportedly has a couple of head coaching interviews lined up.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Monken is scheduled to interview for the Jacksonville Jaguars' vacancy on Thursday, followed by the Chicago Bears' head coaching position on Friday.

Monken, 58, has been the Ravens' OC since 2023 when he was hired away from the University of Georgia to replace Greg Roman.

Following a lengthy career as an assistant coach at the collegiate and NFL levels, Monken served as the head coach at Southern Mississippi, going 13-25 over three seasons, including a 9-5 mark in his final year at the school.

Monken left to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator in 2016, which is a role he remained in until 2018. He then had stints as the OC of the Cleveland Browns and at the University of Georgia, helping lead the Bulldogs' offense to back-to-back national titles in 2021 and 2022.

After leaving Georgia for the Ravens' offensive coordinator job, Monken hit the ground running, as Baltimore went 13-4 last season and ranked sixth in the NFL in total offense, fourth in scoring and first in rushing.

Also, quarterback Lamar Jackson won his second career NFL MVP Award by virtue of completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while also rushing for 821 yards and five scores.

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Jackson and the Baltimore offense have been even better this season, as the Ravens ranked first in total offense, third in scoring first in rushing once again.

The dynamic Jackson had the best passing season of his career as well, completing 66.7 percent of his attempts for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions to go along with 915 yards and four scores on the ground.

Given that he was named a First Team All-Pro over Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Jackson is on the odds-on favorite to be named NFL MVP again.

Monken has played a big role in Jackson's success, so it comes as little surprise that teams are showing interest in him as a head coach.

Both the Jaguars and Bears offer potentially intriguing situations since each team has a talented quarterback for Monken to work with.

The Jags went a disappointing 4-13 this season and have made the playoffs only once in the past seven seasons, but quarterback Trevor Lawrence missing seven games due to injury played a role in their struggles.

Lawrence seemingly had Jacksonville on the upswing when he led the team to an AFC South title and a playoff win. The Jaguars have been able to get back to that level since then, but perhaps Monken would be able to unlock something within the offense.

The Bears are in a similar situation, as they went 5-12 this season and have not reached the playoffs since 2020 and haven't won a playoff game since 2010.

Chicago used the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft on quarterback Caleb Williams, and while it didn't lead to many wins during his rookie season, he had some impressive moments with over 4.000 total yards, 20 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

The Bears have plenty of offensive talent, and while neither head coach Matt Eberflus nor interim head coach Thomas Brown were able to get the most out of it, Monken may be the right guy to do so.

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker released a statement on Thursday denying the allegations against him in an article published by Julie Scharper, Brenna Smith and Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Banner:

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy released a statement addressing the matter, saying: "We first became aware of the allegations from the reporter investigating this story as they were not previously shared with the NFL. We take any allegation seriously and will look into the matter."

The Ravens also released a statement through a spokesperson, saying: "We are aware of the Baltimore Banner's story regarding Justin Tucker. We take any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation."

Tucker joined the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and went on to become a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro. His career field-goal percentage of 89.1 percent ranks first all-time in NFL history. He has three years remaining on his contract with Baltimore and is scheduled to make $4.2 million for the 2025 season.