Report: Ravens to re-sign Malik Harrison to one-year deal
The Baltimore Ravens will re-sign linebacker Malik Harrison to a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Harrison is set to enter his fifth NFL season in 2024, having spent all of them so far in Baltimore.
The Ravens selected Harrison in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. He has been a solid contributor since then, appearing in 61 games with 27 starts.
This past season, Harrison started eight of his 14 appearances to finish with 20 tackles. The Ravens ended the season 13-4 and advanced to the AFC Championship before losing to eventual Super Bowl champ Kansas City.
Baltimore finished first in scoring defense, teams sacks, and tied for third in interceptions this past season. With Harrison back in the fold, he will look to provide depth at multiple linebacker positions as he can play either inside or outside. He should also contribute on specials teams as he did in 2023.
Harrison could also see more playing time this upcoming season with the future of linebacker Patrick Queen still in limbo. Queen is a free agent after Baltimore recently declined his fifth-year option.
Either way, Harrison will aim to make an impact however he can for a defense that was among the top units in the NFL in 2023.
More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency
The NFL 2024 calendar year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially run out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will have a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams can enter into a legal negotiation with players who are set to become unrestricted free agents.
In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline comes the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.
More on restricted, exclusive rights free agents
Players with only three years of accredited NFL experience become restricted free agents. Their original team will have the option to apply first-round, second-round, original-round, and right-of-fight-of-first-refusal tenders on players at escalating price tags.
The higher the round, the more expensive the tender amount; however, if a separate team does offer a contract and the original team does not match, that round’s pick will be conveyed from the new team to the original team. Right of first refusal only gives a team the option to match or not. If they don’t match, they get nothing in return.
An original-round tender would send a draft pick from whatever round the player was drafted back to the original team if they chose not to match. The original team will have five days to match once a player signs an offer sheet from a new team.