One of the most important pieces of the Baltimore Ravens defense and best cornerbacks in the NFL, Marlon Humphrey, has been extended. The new deal listed at five-year(s)/$98.75 million will keep the Ravens 2017 first-round pick with the club though 2026. Per Ian Rapaport, the deal carries $66 million in guarantees and has an average annual salary of $19.5 million per year — the second-highest AAS of any cornerback in the NFL. Throughout his first three games in 2020, Humphrey has allowed just a 51.9 passer rating when targeted and has each a forced fumble and an interception.
Ravens’ All-Pro CB Marlon Humphrey is signing a five-year, $98.75 million extension, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2020
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey Agrees to Five-Year Extension
Humphrey was drafted by the Ravens back in 2017 and became just the fourth cornerback in franchise history to be selected in the first round. He made his first NFL start the following season against the Oakland Raiders Week 5 and gathered his first interception Week 11 against the Green Bay Packers. Since stepping into the league, he has become one of the best man-to-man corners in the NFL. Only one player, Richard Sherman, has allowed a lower passer rating than Humphrey when targeted per Pro Football Focus.
Humphrey’s first real breakout year came in 2018. The cornerback started off the season somewhat slow when A.J. Green posted one of his signature performances against a few of the Ravens corners but Humphrey finished the season strong. In 2018, he finished the season forcing three turnovers, 15 pass defenses, and allowed just a 47.2% competition percentage when targeted. However, the most impressive metric of that season was perhaps holding Julio Jones to just two catches on eight targets for 18 yards during their Week 13 matchup. His 2019 season may not have been as good statistically in coverage, allowing a passer rating of 68.4 and a completion percentage of 58.0%, but he forced a career-high five turnovers while recovering three more. Humphrey also had a career-high in tackles with 65.
Locking up Humphrey prior to the end of the season was likely of vital importance to Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta. The cornerback had one year left on his rookie contract, following the 2020 season and may have become the highest-paid corner in NFL had the Ravens elected to let him hit the open market in 2022. Baltimore still has a number of important deals to get done with the core of their roster and extending Humphrey is a great start.
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