NFL contracts can be difficult to forecast. Depending on when they enter free agency, how many teams show interest and how much money one or more of those teams have to burn, what a player ends up signing can be pretty illogical from the outside looking in. That’s why teams often let players hit the free-agent market to set their value if they can’t come to an agreement ahead of time.
The Baltimore Ravens find themselves in a similar situation with cornerback Jimmy Smith. At the NFL Scouting Combine, general manager Eric DeCosta noted the team was in talks with Smith on a contract extension to keep him in Baltimore but that he expected Smith to head to free agency to test his value.
In the case of both Smith and the Ravens, the one-year deal signed by cornerback Josh Norman before the start of free agency might make setting the terms a little easier. Norman signed a one-year contract with the Bills worth $6 million in base value, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
There, Norman will reunite with the coach that helped make him an All-Pro back in 2015 which ultimately got him a big contract from the Washington Redskins. Norman will have a legitimate shot at a starting role opposite cornerback Tre’Davious White and is likely viewed as a year-by-year investment at this point in his career. A good 2020 campaign could see him get another short-term deal while another poor showing could signal the end of his career.
Smith is in a pretty similar situation this offseason as he looks for a new contract. At his best, Smith was a Pro Bowl-caliber outside cornerback. However, Smith has struggled with injuries and suspensions over his career, missing 20 games over the last four seasons and only playing a full 16-game schedule twice in his nine-year career. He also had a pretty rough 2018 campaign coming back from a torn Achilles tendon before bouncing back somewhat last season in spite of missing six games early with a knee sprain.
Given that Smith will be 32 years old next season combined with his injury history puts him in a similar boat as Norman. They’re both stop-gap starters or higher-end backups with starting experience, which caps their value. That’s especially true for Baltimore considering they have their starters in place with Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey under contract.
Though Norman’s deal might not really change what Smith is ultimately looking for or what the Ravens are willing to pay, it makes the picture a little clearer for both sides. It seems unlikely Smith will sign for less than what Norman is getting and points to a contract worth around $8 million a year, which matches our free-agent preview prediction.
Whether Baltimore is willing to pony up that type of cash for a backup cornerback is up to them, as is the decision by Smith to accept a lesser role than he could probably get from another team. But as the Ravens head into free agency, they’ll likely have a better idea of what to expect for Smith and potentially Brandon Carr as well.
