The Ravens have locked down the game's most versatile safety.
Baltimore has agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension with Kyle Hamilton that's worth over $100 million, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday, per sources informed of the pact. The Ravens later announced the deal.
The deal, which will net Hamilton $25.1 million per year and includes $82 million guaranteed, makes him the highest-paid safety in the NFL, per Rapoport. Hamilton leapfrogs the Lions' Kerby Joseph, who earns $21.25 million per year on a four-year, $85 million extension.
"It's crazy. It's a dream come true," Hamilton said, via team transcript, Wednesday of becoming the highest-paid safety. "First, I just want to thank a lot of people. I want to thank God, first and foremost. [There are] so many situations and things that have happened in my life that have gotten me to this position. I think back to draft night, and some people have said some things about where I was drafted, this and that, and where I could be drafted. And at the time, I think I was the least mad out of anybody. I knew that I came to the right place, and I think that's how God works sometimes. You have to see the bigger picture and [that He] has bigger plans for us."
The Ravens smartly didn't delay extending Hamilton, who is entering his fourth season. With the fifth-year option for 2026 and potential franchise tags at their disposal, Baltimore's brass could have played the waiting game. Instead, they got out in front and paid their premier playmaker early. It's a move we've seen benefit championship-caliber teams.
Getting a deal agreed upon prior to the start of the season was also paramount for Hamilton.
"I wanted to get it done," Hamilton said. "I feel like it would've been a distraction. It's just human nature to kind of think about those things even though I try not to. But no, I think the Ravens – and credit to them and everybody upstairs – they did a great job just engaging in conversation."
A two-time Pro Bowler, Hamilton is a movable chess piece who completely alters how the Ravens can defend. The Notre Dame product can line up all over the formation -- slot, deep, in the box, wide, blitzing linebacker -- making him a matchup nightmare for quarterbacks. You must know where No. 14 is every snap.
Hamilton, a first-team All-Pro in 2023, has generated five interceptions, 250 tackles and seven sacks in three seasons.
During his rookie season, Hamilton initially got off to a wobbly start playing the deep safety position. Then the Ravens moved him closer to the line, playing primarily in the slot, and his play took off. With a keen knack for timing his blitzes perfectly, fluid post-snap movements and a willingness to take on blockers in the run game, Hamilton owns every tool you want from a defensive back.
The 24-year-old's versatility has been a boon for Baltimore. Last year, when the club was lacking on the back end, Hamilton shifted from his slot role to a full-time safety, patrolling deep and moving into the box when needed. In 2024, Hamilton played 407 snaps in the box, 355 at free safety, 292 in the slot, 78 along the outside D-line and 18 at outside corner.
With Marlon Humphrey in the slot, and Nate Wiggins and Jaire Alexander at the outside corners, Hamilton will continue in his do-it-all safety role in 2025 alongside rookie Malaki Starks. Hamilton is the keystone of the Ravens' secondary, filling gaps and making plays. He makes everyone else right. If injuries mount during the season, Hamilton can slide to any position and cover it with All-Pro skills. That is the definition of a priceless weapon.
