OWINGS MILLS, Md. — All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey went from a draft-day surprise three years ago to a defensive cornerstone for the Baltimore Ravens for many seasons to come.
The Ravens made Humphrey the second-highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, signing him to a five-year, $98.75 million extension on Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. His average of $19.75 million per season ranks just behind the Los Angeles Rams‘ Jalen Ramsey ($20 million per season).
The deal, which was later announced by the Ravens, keeps Humphrey in Baltimore through the 2026 season.
“Marlon is the type of player we want in Baltimore,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said. “Besides his obvious talents as a playmaking corner, he’s a passionate competitor who craves winning. Marlon has been a stalwart in our community, and we are excited that he’s going to remain with us for seven seasons.”
Humphrey, 24, has been the Ravens’ top defensive playmaker over the past three seasons. Since entering the league in 2017, he is one of two NFL players to produce at least 40 passes defensed, eight interceptions, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. (Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore is the other.)
It was only three years ago when the Ravens caught many off guard when they selected Humphrey with the No. 16 overall pick. Baltimore attempted to trade up five spots to get Lattimore, but the Saints turned them down. Then, when the Ravens unexpectedly picked Humphrey, they were criticized for passing over playmaking tight end O.J. Howard and explosive tackler Reuben Foster.
Humphrey quickly surpassed expectations, alleviating any concerns about technique issues and his struggles in covering the deep ball. Since 2017, Humphrey has allowed the third-lowest completion percentage among defensive backs as the nearest defender (49.8%) and even ranked higher than NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, according to Next Gen Stats.
Coaches and teammates rave about how Humphrey plays cornerback like a linebacker. He’s aggressive in punching the ball out for a turnover and gets right in the face of wide receivers at the line of scrimmage. Humphrey has played 47.6% of his coverage snaps in press coverage, the highest rate for any defender with at least 200 targets, according to Next Gen Stats.
Humphrey developed a knack for making timely, game-changing turnovers. He was named Ravens MVP by local media in 2018 and was named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams for the first time last season. This season, Humphrey has already recorded an interception and a forced fumble (which turned into a defensive turnover) in three games.
This continues the Ravens’ investment in their secondary. Over the past 20 months, Baltimore has signed nickelback Tavon Young (three years, $25.8 million), cornerback Marcus Peters (three years, $42 million) and safety Chuck Clark (three years, $15.3 million) to extensions.
Now, the Ravens have to determine the next star player to get under contract for the long term. Baltimore has five Pro Bowl players who are scheduled to become free agents over the next three years: NFL MVP Lamar Jackson (potential free agent in 2023), offensive tackles Ronnie Stanley (2021) and Orlando Brown Jr. (2022), outside linebacker Matthew Judon (2021) and tight end Mark Andrews (2022).