Are Roquan Smith, Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews Back With Ravens in '27? NFL Contract Expert Predicts

The Ravens’ ugly payroll and salary-cap situation is born primarily of their inability to act like a functional NFL front office when it comes to extending the contract of their franchise quarterback.

Lamar Jackson has been forced to take a truly unique negotiating path through roughly a decade in the NFL, and it’s not because he chose to represent himself (something increasingly common place in his locker room and around the NFL). Baltimore is staring at a $75M dead cap on Jackson for 2027, and an $84M cap hit is he plays out the final year on his deal with all those poison pills, with no easy way out.

Our pal Mark Levin, who ran the salary cap and agent administration department for the NFLPA for roughly 25 years (as foremost an expert on NFL contracts and structure and cap and the collective bargain agreement as there is on the planet), was also quite involved in Jackson’s last contract with the Ravens. And he explained why there is every reason to be skeptical about Jackson’s future in Baltimore after this season.

But Levin, who ran the salary cap and was the chief negotiator for the Washington Commanders prior to taking the role with the NFLPA, also spent hours recently pouring over Baltimore’s entire current and future cap situation and studying the critical contracts while trying to find ways to get Baltimore under the 2027 cap (they project $50M over it currently).

Levin, who took a buyout from the union and now runs Pro Football Consulting assisting agents negotiating deals, knows how general managers and cap gurus and owners think and he has a unique portal into Baltimore’s front office from being on the inside of Jackson’s last deal. He also explained on “The Daily Flock” what he thinks the Ravens will do with a score of other pressing contract matters (Roquan Smith, Ronnie Stanley, Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman).

PSA: Marlon Humphrey isn’t in this exercise because he is a UFA in 2027, but he’ll still count $12M against Baltimore’s cap either way; quite a parting gift).

LB Roquan Smith

Nov 1, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) runs the ball against Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith (0) during the third quarter at New Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

2027 Cap/Dead Cap: $33M / $13M

· Pre 6/1 (Cut/ Trade): $13M (Save $20M) / $13M (Save $20M)

· Post 6/1 (Cut/Trade): $13M (Save $20M) / $32M (Save $20M)

· Base Salary: $15M ($4M bonus due March)

Smith has been in steep decline for years, and Trenton Simpson is the rare player making the case for a contract extension on this roster, who might be the next-man up. Smith is being paid like Fred Warner and he is worth maybe a third of that and has a cap hit $14M higher than anyone else in the NFL at his position. He’ll be 30 with 3000 snaps under his belt come ’27 and mobility and acceleration have become a big issue.

Levin: “They're not gonna pay a player four million and then cut him. They're gonna cut him before they have to pay the four million.”

Prediction: They offer Smith a bargain 2027 contract and he declines becoming a free agent at start of league year.

Suggestion: Now’s the time see what Simpson, Teddye Buchanan and Kyle Hamilton can do on the field together (30 snaps all season thus far).

LT Ronnie Stanley

Nov 5, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley (79) defends in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

· 2027 Cap/Dead Cap: $24M / $28M

· Pre 6/1 (Cut/ Trade): $28M / $28M

· Post 6/1 (Cut/Trade): $8M (Save $16M) / $8M (Save $16M)

· Base Salary: $16M

He thought his career might be over years ago and extreme medical concerns led him to come back to Baltimore with no real market in free agency. His play is declining, left tackle is a massive need in the draft and the voidable years have made this a brutal cap bind. But remember, cash is king, owner Steve Biscciotti is paying a team-record $370M for his awful product this year, and shedding that $16M base salary is a big deal.

Levin: “Ronnie Stanley would be somebody that you might be able to absorb that extra $4 million hit (from $24M to $28M) and just cut him right away in March.”

Prediction: I could see them saving the $4M and designating him a post-June 1 cut and letting him test the market early.

Suggestion: Don’t get cute in the draft and wait to draft a successor with this awful OL a constant problem.

RB Derrick Henry

Nov 5, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) carries the ball in the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

· 2027 Cap/Dead Cap: $16M / $15M

· Pre 6/1 (Cut/ Trade): $15M / $15M

· Post 6/1 (Cut/Trade): $12M (Save $4M) / $12M (Save $4M)

· Base Salary: $11M ($1M Bonus Due March)

He will be 33, beyond the end for almost everyone who has ever played his position and he’s being ridden into the ground by rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle this year. Without a quality OL and Lamar Jackson, he doesn’t really fit, but the fact this front office wouldn’t do the obvious thing and deal him at the deadline was telling, too. The fumbles are a growing concern.

Levin: “I would lean probably towards keeping him.

Prediction: The King is back in 2027, even on a rebuilding team.

Suggestion: Find a viable complimentary back worthy of 10-15 touches a game

TE Mark Andrews

Jan 19, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (89) drops a pass on a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills in a 2025 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

· 2027 Cap/Dead Cap: $15M / $16M

· Pre 6/1 (Cut/ Trade): $16M / $11M (Save $4M)

· Post 6/1 (Cut/Trade): $16M / $11M (Save $4M)

· Base Salary: $9M ($5M fully guaranteed)

The decision to take the money Isaiah Likely turned down in negotiations last season – wanting to see what the market would bear (perfectly logical and reasonable by Likely) – is the kind of thing that gets you fired by an engaged owner who is driven to win (this one gaslights fans about a GM he says “bats .800” on his transactions). It was a petty and bratty move in realtime and has come to exemplify how this team operates. Andrews is one of the worst tight ends in the NFL the last two season and he cannot run, jump or catch, but leads the NFL in drop percentage at his position and false starts.

Levin: “They could possibly trade him, but I would think more likely he's probably going to be on their roster next year.”

Prediction: They couldn’t get a 4th round pick for him after 2024, when he was just a marginal TE but not a broken one. No trade, and the $5M guarantee means he’s back. He also will retire without a playoff TD in his career.

Suggestion: Get a new front office.

WR Rashod Bateman

Sep 20, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Quincy Riley (29) breaks up a pass intended for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) in the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

· 2027 Cap/Dead Cap: $11M / $8M

· Pre 6/1 (Cut/ Trade): $8M (Save $3M) / $8M (Save $3M)

· Post 6/1 (Cut/Trade): $3M (Save $8M) / $3M (Save $8M)

· Base Salary: $13M Base ($3.5M guar for injury)

One of Eric DeCosta’s all-time favorites and yet another first-round bust who he kept around way too long, who added almost nothing on the field, and absolutely nothing in terms of winning traits in the locker room or on the sidelines. Jackson has his worst passer rating throwing to him and highest interception rate and Bateman doesn’t have 300 receiving yards yet this season.

Levin: “He would be a good candidate for a post-June 1 designation for sure.”

Prediction: He joins Stanley as a post-June 1 guy.

Suggestion: Start benching him to protect that injury guarantee and maybe try getting your fourth-round pick (receiver Elijah Sarratt) active on game day in your lost season.

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