Diego Pavia has gone through a whirlwind of emotions in the last few days. The 24-year-old Heisman Trophy runner-up went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, becoming the first finalist to go undrafted since Jordan Lynch in 2014. After that, he accepted an invitation from the Baltimore Ravens for their rookie minicamp.

However, just days later, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Baltimore signed Pavia to a three-year deal.

There were several factors behind Pavia going undrafted. His 5-foot-10 frame would make him one of the shortest quarterbacks in the league, which came up often, along with questions around his pre-draft process, including not participating in several events.

Despite all these factors, Pavia came off a brilliant season with Vanderbilt. He posted 3,539 passing yards, ranking 14th, along with 29 touchdowns, tied for 9th, and eight interceptions, while also adding 10 rushing touchdowns and finishing with an 87.3 QBR. His performances helped the college get to a 10-3 record, its first double-digit win season.

A lot has also been said about Pavia’s behavior off the field. The QB made some mean comments after coming second behind Fernando Mendoza in the race for the Heisman trophy.

“F*** all the voters, but … family for life.” Pavia posted on social media.

Even with that résumé, all 32 teams passed on him across seven rounds. And none initially reached out with an undrafted free agent offer.

Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show following the draft, Schefter, however, said that other teams were monitoring Pavia’s situation in case Baltimore didn’t act.

“Ravens’ mini-camp is this weekend, but there are other teams that have mini-camps the next weekend,” he said. “There are other teams that want to bring him in if the Ravens don’t sign him. So, there’s already a couple there that want to bring him in, also. So, he’s got a couple of invitations, and we’ll see where he winds up on a roster.”

Now, that decision has been made, with the Ravens locking him in ahead of minicamp. Pavia will now join former UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano, who has also been signed to a three-year deal. Baltimore initially invited Fagnano to the rookie minicamp after he went undrafted.

Fagnano enters after a 2025 season in which he threw for 3,448 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just 1 interception. And with Pavia now on board as well, both quarterbacks add depth to a room that already features Lamar Jackson, who is reportedly seeking a contract extension, and Huntley, who is expected to continue as the primary backup.

The Ravens have yet to lock in Lamar Jackson on a contract extension

“When Lamar gets paid, he’s going to be the highest-paid player in football, just like he was last time,” John Harbaugh said a year ago while he was still the head coach of the Ravens. For now, though, Lamar has yet to sign a contract extension that would make him the highest-paid quarterback. And he is currently playing on the five-year, $260 million deal he signed three years ago.

At the time, he reset the market with a $52 million average annual value and a $72.5 million signing bonus. Fast forward to now, and he sits 10th among quarterbacks in average per year and fourth in signing bonus. Which naturally raises the question of when the Ravens will extend him with two years still remaining on his deal.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti spoke with Jackson at the end of the 2025 season. He emphasized the urgency of getting an extension done before the start of free agency. But the 2026 NFL Draft has now passed, yet Lamar remains without a new deal. The Ravens have already adjusted their ballooning $74.5 million cap hit to create flexibility.

By doing so, Baltimore freed up $39.96 million in cap space and reduced Jackson’s 2026 cap hit to $34.54 million. At the same time, though, his 2027 cap hit has increased from $74.5 million to $84.49 million. It would rank as the third-highest in the league in 2027, per ESPN.

While extension talks have yet to show real progress, Jackson is still on track to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2027 season if no deal is reached. Meanwhile, the Ravens have added depth at the position. They brought in Joe Fagnano and Diego Pavia on three-year deals after passing on a quarterback in the 2026 draft.