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The Baltimore Ravens are a fit for a $14 million free agent in a classic Eric DeCosta move.
Eric DeCosta won’t get too involved in 2026 NFL free agency, but a classic move straight out of the Baltimore Ravens general manager’s playbook is staring him in the face, a move that would fix one of the least-productive pass-rushes in football.
Handing a lucrative one-year deal to four-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack makes sense for the Ravens. That’s according to Austin Gayle of The Ringer, who believes 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year “Mack is the same tough, high-effort player he’s been his entire 12-year career, and when healthy, his pass rush production always has been among the best in football, even as he’s aged. If he still thinks he has enough in the tank, Mack should be able to sign a one-year flier with a contender for around $14 million.”
It’s a deal the Ravens could justify after logging a mere 30 sacks last season. Whether Mack is the answer or not remains open to debate, particularly when he’s 35, missed five games with an elbow injury and apparently has retirement on his mind. after an erratic campaign with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Despite those warning signs, Mack joining the Ravens is a popular idea ahead of this veteran market. The scenario fits how DeCosta has traditionally approached free agency, particularly when addressing the pass rush, having added ageing edge defenders Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy in recent years.
Khalil Mack a Classic Ravens Target
Mack still has strong credentials as a game-changing force along the line of scrimmage. He’s always been formidable against the run, but the powerful edge also remains capable of collapsing the pass-pocket when he’s at full speed.
A good example of Mack’s enduring dominance came when he took over a pivotal AFC West clash with the Kansas City Chiefs back in Week 15. When Mack, “who generated pressure on both interceptions, finished with a team-high 8 pressures, 2nd-most by any player against the Chiefs this season,” according to Next Gen Stats.
The Chargers forced 21 pressures against the Chiefs, the most by any Chiefs opponent since Week 16, 2023.
Khalil Mack, who generated pressure on both interceptions, finished with a team-high 8 pressures, 2nd-most by any player against the Chiefs this season.
Games like this one are what Mack can still produce and why a team like the Ravens, that still has ambitions as a contender, will consider him worth a handsome fee on the market.
The Ravens have more incentive thanks to their recent trend of taking veteran quarterback hunters for short-term pass-rush fixes. It worked in 2023, when 30-somethings Clowney and Van Noy combined for 18.5 sacks.
Both remain capable disruptors in the winter of their respective careers, but neither can smother an offense in the way Mack still can. While letting him do just that for a year would help the Ravens in 2026, perhaps DeCosta needs new ideas and permanent solutions for a longstanding problem.
Eric DeCosta Needs Fresh Ideas
DeCosta is content to downplay the value of free agency, instead focusing more on identifying and retaining talent via the draft. It’s a sound strategy, but it’s also what the Ravens have been doing for years on this GM’s watch.
The draft-centric strategy hasn’t always yielded solutions to the biggest problems on the roster. DeCosta has been happy to use premium draft picks on edge-rushers like Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo and Mike Green.
Oweh is no longer on the team, while Ojabo has had trouble avoiding injuries and making game-day rosters. Green has breakout potential, but last year’s second-rounder recorded just 3.5 sacks as a rookie.
The youth movement hasn’t worked as well as expected, leaving the Ravens to rely on ageing edge-rushers. There’s a middle ground for DeCosta to search, an area of this free-agency class populated with younger veterans yet to reach their peak, but who could take their performances up a level in a new city.
Players like a Super Bowl pass-rusher enjoying a career revival, along with a favorite of former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, can represent something new for the Ravens.
James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko
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