Void year deadline day came and went for the Baltimore Ravens on Monday. The Ravens had a total of four players whose contracts were voided, including Kevin Zeitler.

Zeitler played the 2023 season on the final year of the three-year, $22.5 million deal that he signed off on with the Ravens in 2021. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta did convert $5.335 million of Zeitler’s 2023 salary into a signing bonus last March. The move opened up four void years, which are essentially "fake years" that are added to spread out a signing bonus.

The Ravens had until Monday to reach an agreement on an extension with Zeitler to avoid dead money being counted for 2024. The two sides failed to come to terms on such a deal, which means that not only will Zeitler become an unrestricted free agent next month, but a total of $4.268 million in dead money will count for 2024.

Zeitler can still sign off on a new contract with the Ravens, but the team will still be hit with a charge of $4.268 million in dead money this year.

Why did the Ravens and Zeitler not agree to an extension?

It is not difficult to see why the Ravens and Zeitler did not agree on an extension before Monday’s deadline.

DeCosta confirmed during his end-of-season press conference that Zeitler would be "one of those guys that we'll continue to talk to." So, it is safe to assume that DeCosta did at the least reach out to him over the past month to touch on the possibility of an extension.

Zeitler is coming off of a productive 2023 campaign with the Ravens in which he bolstered his market value. He featured in 983 snaps on offense, which ranked third among all offensive players on the team. He allowed a mere two sacks all season long, and he went on to earn a Pro Bowl nod for the first time in his career.

A to Z Sports projects a one-year, $6 million deal for Zeitler in free agency. Such a contract would be much-deserving for the longtime guard but may possibly be just a bit more than what the team would feel comfortable shelling out.

Zeitler made clear last month that he wants to "be back as a Baltimore Raven." It may now be a bit more difficult for this to come to fruition, but DeCosta should not throw in the towel on this matter.

Zeitler sure proved in the 2023 campaign that he still has much left in the tank at this stage in his career.

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Ravens can’t let him go.