The Ravens finally made their free agent splash.

Baltimore is signing wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to a one-year, $5 million deal that could go up to $6 million, according to a source with direct knowledge of the move.

The 32-year-old Hopkins, who was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs by the Tennessee Titans ahead of the deadline last season, helped the Chiefs to a third straight Super Bowl appearance.

The five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro had 41 receptions for 437 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 10 games in Kansas City and finished the year with 56 catches for 610 yards and five touchdowns. He also had had two catches for 18 yards and a touchdown in their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59.

Over his 12-year career with the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Titans and Chiefs, Hopkins has 984 catches for 12,965 yards and 83 touchdowns and and has topped the 1,000-yard mark seven times.

Hopkins bolsters a wide receiver group that already includes Pro Bowl selection Zay Flowers and 2021 first-round draft pick Rashod Bateman, who had career highs in yards (756) and touchdowns (nine) last season.

His also gives quarterback Lamar Jackson yet another weapon on an offense that led the league in yards per game last season and was tops in defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA).

“He’s one of the greats,” Hopkins said of Jackson in 2023 on the “I Am Athlete” podcast. “I would be lying to sit here and say it wouldn’t be an honor one day … to play with a great guy and a great quarterback like Lamar.”

FB Ricard returns on 1-year deal

The Ravens on Tuesday agreed to a one-year deal with fullback Patrick Ricard, who has made five Pro Bowls in eight seasons with the team.

Ricard, 30, has not played as large a role in two seasons under offensive coordinator Todd Monken as he did under previous coordinator Greg Roman, but he remains a key blocker in the Ravens’ running game, which led the league in rushing yards per game and per attempt last season. He played 39% of the team’s offensive snaps in 2024 and caught three passes for 22 yards and a touchdown.

Terms of his new deal were not immediately available.

The day after the Ravens’ playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, Ricard made it clear that he wanted to return to the only NFL team he has known.

“I want to stay here,” he said. “I want to be here. I want to retire here.”

He said he’s completely comfortable with his place in Monken’s system: “He understands how to use me. I would like to keep being a part of it as long as everyone wants me here, and he wants to keep using me the way he has been using me.”

General manager Eric DeCosta had expressed confidence that Ricard would be back.

“His agent is a good friend of mine, and I think Pat knows how we feel about him, and I would for him to retire as a Raven,” DeCosta said at the team’s season-ending news conference. “He epitomizes everything that we’re all about. And he’s another undrafted guy who just became — in my opinion — the best at his position. … This is not the first time he’s been a free agent. In fact, I think he’s signed at least two deals with us after his rookie deal, so this is probably his fourth contract now with us, if we can get him signed, and I would say that would be the goal.”

DeCosta has followed through on his promise to bring back key players from his 2024 roster rather than spend his limited salary cap room on outside free agents. The Ravens re-signed Ricard three days after they agreed to a three-year, $60 million extension with left tackle Ronnie Stanley.

Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1.