Marlon Humphrey doesn’t know if the Ravens will want him back in 2026, but he still knows he can play—Mike Tomlin told him so. The veteran cornerback mentioned something to that effect last night, following Baltimore’s loss to the Steelers. While Humphrey is under contract for 2026, his spot on the team is tenuous, especially after a shaky season.

“I just wait and see if I’m part of the plans going forward or if I’m not. My standard of play this year just was not how I wanted”, he said, via the Ravens’ website. “The thing that’s encouraging is, honestly, even during the game, I go over to the Steelers’ sideline while somebody was down and Mike Tomlin gives me a message, and it encouraged me”, Humphrey added.

While he didn’t give specifics of what his rival head coach said, he spoke in generalities. “I can still be a good player in this league. Teams still look at me like an elite player, and I can figure this thing out”, Humphrey recalled after Tomlin’s words to him. “What he did say, it definitely encouraged me”.

Mike Tomlin and Marlon Humphrey haven’t had a ton of discussions after Ravens losses, but they know each other well. The Ravens drafted Humphrey in 2017, so he’s faced the Steelers many, many times. Although he had four interceptions this season—the second-highest of his career—he was shaky in coverage. He mentioned giving up big plays, and according to Pro Football Reference, he allowed a career-high 856 yards this season, 15.3 yards per catch, though he only allowed two touchdowns.

But Humphrey said he ran faster than he ever did before this this past offseason. At age 30 next season, he still believes in his abilities. “I’m excited to – wherever I’m at – to be playing football next year, and I think I’ll be able to play at a very high level”, Humphrey said. And given Mike Tomlin’s recent track record, don’t be surprised if the Steelers are interested.

Marlon Humphrey was viewed as a potential cap casualty in 2025. Rather than cut him, though, the Ravens restructured his contract, adding two more void years. He is on the books for a $15,250,000 base salary in 2026 with a $4 million roster bonus on March 22. If they let him go, they’ll save $7,328,300 in cap space, minus displacement, eating $18,947,700 in dead money.

Marlon Humphrey isn’t the first Ravens player Mike Tomlin has whispered sweet nothings to in the recent past. While Patrick Queen initially misunderstood Tomlin’s message, he now leads the Steelers’ defense. The Steelers have also added DeShon Elliott, who became a key figure on defense as well. Not to mention Malik Harrison, Chuck Clark, and Jeremiah Moon, three other defensive contributors.

I’ve had a lot of respect for Mike Tomlin”, Marlon Humprey said. “We’ve had limited conversations on the field, but he’s a great coach”.

Tomlin and the Steelers have recently been more mindful of the compensatory formula, so the Ravens cutting Humphrey would make him an attractive option to them. In the event they were interested, they would likely envision him as a nickel defender.