To play in the NFL at a high level, to quote Gen Z, you gotta have a little dog in you.
Veteran offensive lineman John Simpson has more dog in him than most, which is why the Baltimore Ravens brought him back on a 3-year, $30 million free-agent contract to help fix major issues on their interior offensive line.
To do that, the Ravens will need Simpson to keep some of his impulses in check on the field — something Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Bradley Locker pointed out after Simpson landed on his list of the NFL’s most penalized players since 2021.
“Simpson returned to Baltimore on a three-year, $30 million contract in an effort to ameliorate the Ravens’ interior offensive line,” Locker wrote. “That payday clearly wasn’t affected by his high penalty rate. Since 2021, Simpson has been penalized 43 total times. Although only seven of those were false starts, his 26 holds are the fourth-most. Simpson has also let his emotions get the best of him, committing a league-high six offensive unnecessary roughness infractions.”
Ravens Called Out Over $30 Million Contract
Not everyone was a fan of the Ravens handing such a big contract to Simpson.
Simpson, 6-foot-4 and 330 pounds, is being counted on to not only start but be a high-impact player for the Ravens, who watched their offensive line struggle mightily to protect 2-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson in 2025.
The only problem? Simpson might not be up to the task and could represent a massive overpay by the Ravens. Pro Football Focus called Simpson one of its “Least Favorite” free-agent signings in the 2026 cycle.
It’s Simpson’s 2nd stint with the Ravens after playing for them in 2022 and 2023.
“Simpson returns to Baltimore after two seasons with the New York Jets, but this time, he will not have center Tyler Linderbaum by his side,” PFF’s Zolton Buday wrote. “Simpson has earned a PFF overall grade above 60.0 just once in his career: in 2024, when he ranked 11th among guards with a 77.3 mark. Unless Simpson can get back to that level in 2026, this seems like an overpay by the Ravens.”
In 2025, Simpson was objectively average, at best — his 56.9 overall grade from PFF ranked him 54th out of 81 eligible players at his position.
Ravens Overpaid for John Simpson By How Much?
There was a massive difference between the projected market value for Simpson and the money he actually ended up with.
Spotrac projected Simpson in line for a 1-year, $6.3 million contract — the Ravens went way, way past that for some reason. The Jets actually received some rare (very rare) praise for letting Simpson go in free agency.
“Simpson’s departure leaves New York with an immediate hole at left guard, which they will need to address in free agency, the draft, or both,” Jets X-Factor’s Connor Long wrote. ” … While retaining Simpson would have made sense, the Jets ultimately made the right decision to let him walk. Simpson thrived in his first season as a Jet, earning a stellar 77.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which was the fourth highest among all left guards. However, in 2025, he took a significant step back.”
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