The Baltimore Ravens simply had to beat Aaron Rodgers on Sunday night to send the team to the postseason for the fourth season in a row. And for a time, it looked like it would happen. With just over two minutes to play, Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers for a 64-yard touchdown to put Baltimore ahead 24-20. The Ravens were on the brink of not only a playoff berth, but a first-round matchup with a Texans team that has struggled mightily against Jackson over the past few seasons.
Instead, Rodgers orchestrated a game-winning drive, connecting with Calvin Austin III for the go-ahead score. Jackson tried to salvage it, but the game came down to a 44-yard Tyler Loop field goal attempt. He missed, and now Baltimore now looks ahead of an uncertain offseason, with the fate of head coach John Harbaugh standing out as the biggest matter facing the team. Roster change is guaranteed at this point. The only real question is how extensive that roster change will be. Here are six Ravens we shouldn't expect to see back in 2026.
DeAndre Hopkins
The Ravens hoped adding veteran DeAndre Hopkins would lead to good things for this passing attack. That wasn't the case, as Hopkins finished the season with 22 catches for 330 yards and two touchdowns. He made some timely plays, but he was largely underutilized.
The idea here was good — Baltimore could use more receiving help for Jackson. But Hopkins isn't getting any younger and while he offers a pair of reliable hands, he also struggles at this point to create separation, ranking 101st at the position in target separation.
Isaiah Likely
Isaiah Likely was almost the hero on Sunday night, catching a 26-yard pass on fourth down with 21 seconds to play to set up Loop's field goal attempt. Unfortunately, it's likely to be Likely's last catch in a Ravens uniform.
That's because Likely's future with the Ravens was essentially ended earlier this season when the team signed Mark Andrews to a contract extension. Investing a good chunk of money in two tight ends is a recipe for failure in the modern NFL, so there's little chance that Likely is in the Ravens' long-term plans at this point, especially with so many teams likely interested in a young tight end with upside, even if he's coming off a largely disappointing 2025 campaign.
Cooper Rush
Cooper Rush's time in Baltimore was up the moment the team opted to bench him and make Tyler Huntley the starter while Lamar Jackson was out.
The Ravens were 0-2 in Rush's starts, and he ended the season with zero touchdown passes and four interceptions. It's safe to say that Baltimore needs more out of its backup. Bringing back Huntley should be a priority this offseason, but if they miss out on him, the answer is not to just roll with Rush again. It's more likely that we see him playing in spring ball in the future than back on an NFL field.
David Ojabo
A second-round pick in 2022, David Ojabo has pretty clearly not worked out. He finished the 2025 season with 0.5 sacks, though he did have a career-high in solo tackles. The issue? He only had seven solo tackles.
Over the final three games of the season, Ojabo played just three total snaps on defense, with a handful more on special teams. It's clear he's not in this team's plans going forward.
Daniel Faalele
PFF numbers should always be taken with a grain of salt, but it's definitely not a good thing that Daniel Faalele was the 52nd-rated guard in the league. He's probably serviceable as a backup, but with Faalele hitting free agency this year, it makes sense for him to look elsewhere for somewhere willing to give him a second chance, while Baltimore needs to focus on finding a right guard who can give Jackson time in the pocket and actually open up holes in the run game.
Alohi Gilman
Alohi Gilman started 12 games for the Ravens after being traded to the team in October. He helped improve the defense, but he had 16 missed tackles and allowed 25 receptions, so... a bit of an uneven showing. Gilman could be back at the right price, but it's not clear what kind of bidding war there might be for a young safety who has been decently productive. With Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks already on the roster, finding a value third safety would make a lot of sense.