Ravens sign All-Pro corner Marlon Humphrey to $98.75 million extension

The Baltimore Ravens just paid top cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens might’ve come up short in the postseason last year, but they look as ready as ever to run it back with a largely unchanged team in 2020. As dynamic as their offense is, their defense is once again one of the league’s best, and cornerback Marlon Humphrey’s evolution from promising athlete to elite defensive back is a huge reason why.

The Ravens finally paid Humphrey like an elite cornerback, signing the former Alabama star to a five-year contract worth $98.75 million. In terms of both total value and average annual salary, this contract makes him the second-most expensive cornerback in the league, trailing only Los Angeles Rams star Jalen Ramsey.

Wink Martindale has made Marlon Humphrey one of the best corners in football

It took a while for Humphrey, the son of former Broncos running back Bobby Humphrey, to really find his footing in the NFL, but he emerged as a stud as soon as he got comfortable. In 2019, Humphrey recorded a career-high 65 tackles while defending 14 passes, picking off three passes, and scoring two touchdowns.

Earl Thomas’ bad behavior in the preseason, which led to his release, thinned the ranks in the Baltimore secondary. Humphrey was going to play a bigger part in the success of the Ravens than he had to this point in his career. So far, barring a hiccup in the loss against the Chiefs, he has passed with flying colors.

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The Ravens’ success will be inexorably tied to Jackson, but they still need to make sure that their defensive stalwarts are locked up for the future. For the next five years, it’s going to be extremely difficult for opposing quarterbacks to get any air against Humphrey and this defense.