Ravens' top free agent doesn't sound inclined to give a hometown discount

The Ravens have quite a busy offseason ahead with 23 unrestricted free agents. And it might get off to a bit of a rocky start after one of their top upcoming free agents recently revealed that contract talks may not go as smoothly as previously thought.

That player is Pro Bowl DT Justin Madubuike, who had a breakout season at the perfect time in 2023.

"In terms of Baltimore, man, that's home," Madubuike said, via Kevin Eck of the team's website. "But, you know, business is business, and that side is going to take care of itself."

Madubuike, a third-round pick in 2020, is clearly interested in staying with the Ravens, who's he's spent the first four years of his NFL career with. But he also knows he has the opportunity to have a big payday this offseason after posting a career-high 56 tackles, 13 sacks and two forced fumbles.

According to Spotrac, the 26-year-old is expected to receive a four-year, $81.28M contract ($20.3M per year) this offseason.

If Madubuike does attempt to get as much money as possible, it won't be easy for Baltimore to retain him. The Ravens are projected to have just $13.65M in cap space, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Of course, the team can make moves to clear up more cap space, but it must also have enough money to pay its 2024 rookie class.

Madubuike understands that the Ravens could look very different next year after a promising season. And whether that includes him or not remains unknown.

"We had a helluva year," Madubuike added. "Hopefully, we can keep as much guys as we can, but it's a business, people gotta go where they gotta go. It was a special team. We should've went all the way. We came up short, it stings."

Keeping Madubuike should be Baltimore's top priority this offseason. But it doesn't look like he's interested in taking a hometown discount, which could certainly complicate things.