Ravens Sign First-Round Guard Vega Ioane to Four-Year Rookie Deal

Baltimore announced Thursday that it signed 14th-overall pick Vega Ioane to a four-year rookie contract with a fifth-year option. The fully guaranteed deal totals $24.2 million with a signing bonus of over $14 million. The team expects Ioane to compete for a starting guard spot, and head coach Jesse Minter says the staff will decide his position.

Vega Ioane and Other Ravens Sign Rookie Contracts

Baltimore entered the 2026 draft needing interior-line help after center Tyler Linderbaum left for an $81 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. In 2025, guards Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees allowed 58 pressures, contributing to Lamar Jackson’s 36 sacks. Guard reinforcement was a priority.

Heavy

Vega Ioane (Olaivavega Ioane) started 32 games at left guard for Penn State. He allowed no sacks, no holding penalties and one quarterback hit, posting a 0.7 % blown-block rate and two pressures in 1,106 snaps. Standing 6-foot-4, 326 pounds.

Heavy

Contract: $24.2 million guaranteed, $14 million signing bonus, fifth-year option. College: 0 sacks, 0 holding penalties, 0.7 % blown-block rate, 2 pressures in 1,106 snaps.

NBC Sports

DeCosta said Ioane “checked off every single box for us as a player: mentality, personality, ability, skill level, athletic ability, physicality, all those different things, at a very high level.” Minter said the staff will decide Ioane’s guard assignment after minicamp. Doyle called his “reactive athleticism” a “very strong trait” in pass protection.

Here’s what makes Vega Ioane and other Ravens draft picks special

Jeremy Fowler called Ioane a “hot name in the early teens” and noted the Ravens feared being jumped. Jamison Hensley said interior line was a factor in Jackson’s pressure rate and that Ioane would be a “significant upgrade.”

Heavy

Some sources refer to the player as “Vega Ioane,” while others use his full name “Olaivavega Ioane.” Both names identify the same 14th-overall pick. No other factual discrepancies appear.

Vega Ioane and Other Ravens Sign Rookie Contracts

• “When I'm on the field, nobody is going to stand in front of me and survive,” — Vega Ioane, Draft Prospect

Vega Ioane and Other Ravens Sign Rookie Contracts

• “I think this guy just really checked off every single box for us as a player: mentality, personality, ability, skill level, athletic ability, physicality, all those different things, at a very high level,” — Eric DeCosta, General Manager, Baltimore Ravens

Here’s what makes Vega Ioane and other Ravens draft picks special

• “Reactive athleticism is a very, very strong trait” — Declan Doyle, Offensive Coordinator, Baltimore Ravens

Here’s what makes Vega Ioane and other Ravens draft picks special

• “One of the biggest factors in (Lamar) Jackson being pressured on 37.1% of his dropbacks last season — the worst rate of his eight-year career — was the play of Ravens guards Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees,” — Jamison Hensley, Analyst

Heavy

Baltimore’s two-day rookie minicamp begins Friday, giving Ioane his first practice. The Ravens will evaluate his fit at guard and aim to solidify interior protection for the upcoming season, expecting he could start as a rookie.

USA Today