Ravens extend Kyle Hamilton, make him highest-paid safety in NFL history

The Baltimore Ravens have made Kyle Hamilton the highest-paid safety in the NFL.

They reached an agreement with Hamilton late Tuesday on an extension that will keep the 24-year-old in Baltimore for the foreseeable future. The deal is worth $100.4 million over four years, including $82 million guaranteed, eclipsing the four-year, $86 million pact the Detroit Lions and safety Kerby Joseph agreed to in April, according to team sources.

Hamilton, a first-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2022, essentially had two years left on his rookie deal after the Ravens announced in April that they would pick up his fifth-year option for 2026. At the time, the team acknowledged that it remained a priority to extend Hamilton, who has quickly developed into one of the league’s top safeties.

The deal comes just 11 days before the Ravens will kick off the 2025 season against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.

Hamilton has two Pro Bowl selections in his three NFL seasons, and he’s also garnered All-Pro recognition in each of the past two years. With his smarts, athleticism, versatility and physicality, Hamilton has become one of the centerpieces of a Baltimore defense well-stocked with accomplished veterans and former first-round picks.

Pen to paper on the biggest safety contract in the NFL‼️ pic.twitter.com/Gt5YSVtTdp

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 27, 2025

He’s also morphed into an on-field leader for the Ravens and one of the more vocal players in the locker room. Hamilton’s active in the community, too.

In 2023, ex-Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald used Hamilton as a chess piece, moving him around the defense and matching him up in certain situations. Hamilton responded by registering 81 tackles, three sacks, four interceptions, 13 pass breakups and a defensive touchdown.

With his defense struggling to limit big plays early last season, first-year Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr was forced to move Hamilton to more of a deep safety role. Hamilton proved to be a stabilizer for the pass defense and finished the season with 107 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.

The selection of first-round safety Malaki Starks in April’s draft is expected to allow Orr to utilize Hamilton similarly to how he was moved around during his breakout 2023 season and get him closer to the line of scrimmage.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has long said the team would prioritize taking care of its own players over spending big in free agency. Hamilton is the latest example of that, and it follows an offseason in which Baltimore also reached long-term agreements with running back Derrick Henry, left tackle Ronnie Stanley and wide receiver Rashod Bateman.

The team has yet to address the contract of two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, whose salary-cap number rises to an untenable $74.5 million next year. And the Ravens’ 2026 unrestricted free-agent class is primed to include key performers Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Tyler Linderbaum, Odafe Oweh and Travis Jones. However, Hamilton is a big name to cross off the list, and the timing could be critical with safety prices rising in recent years.

(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)