Ravens Reportedly To Sign OLB Pernell McPhee to New Contract

Baltimore needs depth at OLB.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Pernell McPhee wanted to remain with the Ravens.

He will now have that opportunity. 

The Ravens and McPhee agreed to a new deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Financial terms have yet to be disclosed. 

McPhee was one of the team's five outside linebackers slated to hit the free-agent market. The other four — Matthew Judon, Yannick Ngakoue, Tyus Bowser and Jihad Ward — are ready to potentially sign bigger deals elsewhere. 

"I'm hoping the Ravens can retain all of them, but free agency can get crazy, unpredictable," McPhee told the Ravens website. "But one thing you have to understand. When you're playing with guys who have been in the organization and who understand your system, it makes a difference. You want to keep those guys because they know how to play like a Raven."

In 2019, McPhee was second on the team with three sacks before his season was cut short because of a triceps injury he suffered against the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 20. McPhee bounced back from that injury and had a solid season, finishing with 34 tackles three sacks and 15 quarterback hits last season.

He also embraced a leadership role with some of the younger players.

"Pernell, he set the edge," Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said. "He was a physical force out there. He was a dominating presence; setting the edge and then coming off blocks and making tackles off the edge. I thought Pernell had his best game of the year, along with a lot of other guys."

McPhee was originally selected by the Ravens in the fifth round (165th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. He had a breakout season in 2014 with 7.5 sacks.

That performance led to a lucrative deal in Chicago where his production began to tail off. He had six sacks in 2015, four in both 2016 and 2017 and none in 2018 for the Redskins.