Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta took the podium Tuesday morning as the 2026 NFL Combine is set to get underway on February 26 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
DeCosta addressed many of the pending decisions, including extending quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Jackson, 29, is expected to have a cap hit of $74 million once the new league year starts, a number that would decrease the Ravens' chances of being able to make necessary moves to bolster the roster.
While a restructure is on the table, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti wanted to avoid that route. DeCosta said on Tuesday that business talk with Jackson will remain private, adding they have talked about "a lot of different things" over the last month.
"He's been very engaged," DeCosta said. "As I said, he was a big value to us in the coaching search, but we'll continue those conversations moving forward."
One of the moves the Ravens are looking to make is extending Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, who is seen as one of the top free agents this upcoming season.
The Ravens chose not to pick up Linderbaum's fifth-year option last season, instead picking up safety Kyle Hamilton's — Hamilton signed a four-year, $100.4 million extension last August.
DeCosta said they've offered Linderbaum a "market-setting offer," with hopes that something can get done before the start of the new league year.
Tight end Isaiah Likely is another player that is in need of an extension.
DeCosta said the Ravens were "in a jam" this year because none of the tight ends were slated to return the following season, until Mark Andrews signed a three-year $39.3 million extension this past December, with $26 million guaranteed.
With the Andrews signing, many speculated that Likely would probably not be back with the team, but DeCosta put the brakes on that, stating there is "definitely" a possibility Likely could return to the team.
Defensively, the biggest uncertainty at the moment is the status of defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who suffered a neck injury in Week 2 of the 2025 season.
Updates on Madubuike have been minimal, but Ravens head coach Jesse Minter said that he's spoken with him recently.
"I'll keep those conversations private," coach Minter said. "I think that'll be up to him when the time's right. I know he's in great spirits, and it was great to see him in the building last week or the week prior. We'll keep the rest of that private.”
DeCosta said that Madubuike's injury doesn't really affect how he approaches the draft, and there has not been a major impact on the salary cap.
"There are a lot of unknowns when you build a team, and sometimes – I learned from [executive vice president] Ozzie [Newsome] – sometimes the best thing to do is just wait for more information, and that's what we'll continue to do,” said DeCosta.
Marlon Humphrey is expected to return to the team, per DeCosta, who said he does not expect to have to readjust his contract. There have also been no talks with Roquan Smith about a potential restructure.
While DeCosta remains optimistic about retaining many key players, he also remains steadfast on addressing the team's holes, like offensive and defensive line.
The Ravens' trenches left much to be desired this season, allowing too many sacks on offense and generating too few on defense.
DeCosta said he liked seeing many players step up and emerge, like Travis Jones, but he knows they are not done trying to build the trenches back up.
"We've got 11 draft picks, I think, and we should have a good opportunity to add players,” DeCosta said.
The combine is set to run through March 1, with the new league year set to begin on March 11 at 4 p.m.
