Alohi Gilman
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Baltimore Ravens safety Alohi Gilman.
While the joy of trading for NFL All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby on Friday night hadn’t totally dissipated by the end of the 1st day of free agency, it certainly wasn’t the rolling high the previous 48 hours had been.
In some corners, it might even be looked at as a little bit of despair after the Ravens lost 7 starters on Monday alone, capped by safety Alohi Gilman signing a 3-year, $25.75 million free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in a late-night deal.
“The Chiefs are signing safety Alohi Gilman to a three-year, $24.75 million deal with $15M fully guaranteed,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero wrote on his official X account on Monday night.
The Chiefs were no strangers to losing starters, either, watching both of their starting cornerbacks sign massive free agent contracts with the Los Angeles Rams over the last week in NFL All-Pro Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
“And there it is,” ESPN’s Peter Schrager wrote on his official X account right after Gilman signed with the Chiefs. “After the bloodbath to their defensive backfield the last four days, this is a big one. Love the fit, too.”
Alohi Gilman Helped Lift Defense Following Trade
Gilman has been one of the big reasons why the Ravens’ defense was so much better in the second half of the season. On October 7, Baltimore traded edge rusher and former first round pick Odafe Oweh and a 2026 seventh round pick to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for Gilman and a 2026 fifth round pick.
Gilman has started all 16 games he’s played in this season for both teams and all 11 games for the Ravens since the trade. He has a combined 82 tackles, 8 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble and one (sort of) interception return for a touchdown.
Oweh also cashed in big in free agency, signing a 4-year, $100 million contract with the Washington Commanders.
Gilman started all 17 games he played in for both teams and finished with 90 tackles, 9 pass deflections, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble, and 1 defensive touchdown.
In Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals, edge rusher Kyle Van Noy handed the ball backwards to Gilman after intercepting a pass by Joe Burrow deep in Ravens territory and Gilman raced 84 yards for a touchdown in a 24-0 win.
“Today’s Kyle Van Noy-Alohi Gilman play was the first lateral/handoff on an interception return resulting in a TD since Ed Reed to Dawan Landry in 2010,” NFL.com Senior Researcher DanteKoplowitz-Fleming wrote on X on December 14.
Briefly Re-Teamed With College Teammate
Gilman was college teammates with All-Pro Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton at Notre Dame.
Were it not for Gilman, Hamilton’s path to the Ravens may have never happened in the first place. Hamilton told Irish Illustrated’s Drew Mentock he was ready to transfer back home to the University of Georgia before his freshman season even started.
It was Gilman, then a senior, who talked Hamilton into staying at Notre Dame, where he was a 3-time All-American in 3 seasons and was selected by the Ravens in the first round (No. 14 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft.
“I was close to transferring,” Hamilton told Mentock. “I wanted to go home during fall camp, but (Gilman) talked me off the ledge.”