OWINGS MILLS, Md. — It is a life-changing deal for a homegrown Raven.
"The first thing I did was, I probably cried a little bit. I ain’t going to lie," said Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike. "[I] prayed, called my dad immediately. He was stoked. He was like, ‘What?’."
Madubuike shocked his father by telling him about the four-year contract extension he inked worth a reported $98 million with $75.5 million guaranteed.
"I’m hungry. I’m ready to get back to work again," said Madubuike. "I’ve been working out, as you all can see, a little bit. I’m just going to keep working, keep being better and just keep striving for greatness."
The 26-year-old pro-bowler and second team All-Pro was franchised-tagged last week before agreeing to the extension on Friday. He just completed the best season of his four-year career - 13 sacks, 56 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 33 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles.
"He can play the run and he is an exceptional pass-rusher too. He is a guy that has gotten better every single year," said general manager Eric DeCosta.
"This year, what I felt like helped take his game to a next level, if you really just watch our film and pay attention to it, he played all across the defensive line," added new defensive coordinator Zach Orr.
That versatility is not common.
"I feel like I have a very unique body type in which I am strong enough to hold myself in terms of being a nose [tackle]. I’m quick enough and agile enough to rush as a three [technique] and I’m also fast enough to burn the edge," said Madubuike.
Now the question is what do DeCosta and the Ravens do next? NFL teams started negotiating with free agents on Monday as the league's legal tampering period opened. They can start officially signing players on Wednesday.
The Madubuike signing saves the Ravens about $10 million in cap space but Baltimore is right up against the cap as the new league year begins.
"We will have to be financially responsible in most cases, because we do have a lot of money going to very good players. It’s not a scientific study, but we probably have four, five or six players on our team right now that are being paid top-of-the-market money; that’s a good problem to have, in a lot of ways, because it means you’re going to have a good team. But it also means that there are going to be some situations where you just have to let players test the market and see what they can get elsewhere, and that can be a frustrating thing, especially for a team that likes to draft," said DeCosta. "I mean, first and foremost, I started out as a scout, and so, the idea that you can draft a really good player, keep him for four years and watch him go play elsewhere is frustrating. But this is the business we have chosen, and we’ll abide by those salary cap rules and hopefully make good decisions moving forward.”
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