As the Ravens continue to bolster their roster for the 2016 season, they also have one eye looking a year or two down the road.
Defensive tackle Brandon Williams and right tackle Rick Wagner are two key starters that are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next offseason, and it might be worth trying to lock them up with long-term deals before that happens.
"I would love to, but the agents know that the prices are going up," Owner Steve Bisciotti said Tuesday. "So the agents are advising these guys, don't sign a contract now, get to free agency."
It's happened both ways for the Ravens in the past.
Baltimore reached an extension with Marshal Yanda in October, five months before he was set to hit the open market. General Manager Ozzie Newsome was also able to sign cornerback Jimmy Smith to a reported four-year, $48 million extension a full season before he hit free agency.
Some analysts believe* *Smith could have gotten more money as a free agent, but Smith was coming off an injury and said he cared more about being a part of the Ravens than being the highest-paid corner.
It doesn't always work out that way, however.
The Ravens made an "aggressive" offer to offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele before free agency opened, but he tested free-agent waters and cashed in with a five-year deal with the Oakland Raiders that is reportedly worth $11.7 million per season. That's the most money of any NFL guard, and is the fourth-most of any left tackle if he plays that position.
"Let's face it, if Yanda retires, K.O. is still with us," Bisciotti said. "Interesting enough, if you go back to Yanda, we picked him in the third round after we took Ben Grubbs in the first round. And when they both came up in free agency, we let Grubbs go and we had to pick between them. We've had to do that twice, and Yanda has come out on the winning end of that two times in his career. It's kind of ironic that we've lost a Pro Bowl, or ascending Pro Bowl guard twice in Ben Grubbs and Kelechi."
Williams also fits into that "ascending Pro Bowler" category.
He has started 30 of the last 32 games, and was one of the major reasons Baltimore was comfortable with moving on from Pro Bowler Haloti Ngata. Williams successfully clogged the middle of the line last year, producing career highs in tackles (53), solo stops (35), sacks (two), tackles for loss (nine) and quarterback hits (four).
For the second-straight season, Wagner was the team's top earner in the NFL's performance-based pay program. The program compensates players for their playing time compared to their salary level. As a fifth-round pick, Wagner doesn't have a huge contract, but started 31 of 32 games the last two years.
The pair of 2013 picks have been key contributors, and their careers are ascending.
Time will tell whether the Ravens make an offer to Williams and/or Wagner or if they choose to test the open market. If they do become unrestricted free agents, there's a chance another team with more cap space could offer more than what the Ravens can match.
That's exactly what happened with Osemele.
"He got more than we really thought he was going to get," Bisciotti said. "We thought he would take a little less [if he stayed]. I certainly didn't expect a deal close to $12 million a year."
