As safety Chuck Clark met with the media in February fresh off signing a new three-year contract extension, it was easy to see an early trend in the Eric DeCosta regime in Baltimore: The second-year general manager has made good on his stated pledge to retain his own players as much as possible, and he has made clear that the secondary will be a major area of investment.
Consider that in his first 12 months as general manager after succeeding his longtime boss Ozzie Newsome, DeCosta has:
- Signed cornerback Tavon Young to a three-year, $25.8 million contract extension, making him one of the highest-paid slot corners in the league;
- Signed safety Earl Thomas to a four-year, $55 million deal that represented the largest contract ever given to a player outside the organization;
- Acquired Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters in a trade, then signed him to a three-year, $42 million extension;
- And re-signed Clark to a three-year extension worth a reported $19 million after the former sixth-round pick became one of the breakout stars for the Ravens’ defense in 2019.
According to spotrac.com, which tracks player contracts, as of February the Ravens had committed more than $65 million to their secondary for 2020, the highest total in the league. That will fluctuate with various offseason acquisitions and releases, but the message is obvious, borne out of hard-earned lessons through the years: Quality secondary play is worth the price tag.
