Ravens Sign Rashod Bateman to Extension

The Baltimore Ravens announced that they signed WR Rashod Bateman to an extention through 2026. RSR staff react to the news here.

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We have extended @R_bateman2 through 2026pic.twitter.com/Xql3SCWkAs

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 24, 2024

So, essentially a 1-yr extension if you factor in he’s already under contract for this yr & potentially had the 5th Yr Option for 2025. Will be interesting to see where the numbers fall, essentially already due $16.723M in salary for 2024 & 2025. https://t.co/8sTFTOvns8

— Brian McFarland (@RavensSalaryCap) April 24, 2024

No, an extension for Bateman is going to raise his 2024 Cap number, so it will eat into the team’s Cap space (presently $7.205M). How much is TBD based on the detail of his new deal.

PS: Same would likely be true of an extension for CB Brandon Stephens. https://t.co/WbrkUeOe0F

— Brian McFarland (@RavensSalaryCap) April 24, 2024

Darin McCann

I’m not ready to break out a Congo line over this, but it’s one of those deals that makes sense on a few levels.

For starters, Bateman has been plagued with injuries since coming into the league, and this basically let’s him “reset” and start his career over with a few seasons of runway in front of him. The other, which is probably more unlikely, is that having Bateman under control for three more seasons might make him more appealing to other teams who may be interested in making a trade for him. It will be interesting to see the terms and what transpires over the rest of this week.

Chad Racine

Without knowing the contract numbers, I’m sure this is a cost saving move versus the fifth year option salary. It’s a win-win for both Bateman and the Ravens. Bateman gets another year on his contract for some financial security and the Ravens don’t have to pay the high salary of the fifth-year option. Based on how the Ravens have talked about him recently they appear to have faith in him moving forward.

There is another possibility but I doubt it’s the case. They could have extended him for the sole purpose of making his trade value higher. I don’t think that’s the case though. I have faith in Bateman and expect him to have his best year yet.

Kevin McNelis

Bate has been probably the single most talked about player on this roster over the offseason. His fifth-year option was in play, and fans have been grumbling over the lack of production to this point in his young career. I get it: injury issues repeatedly hampering a first-round talent sucks, there’s no two ways about that. With the way the receiver market looks, though, cost-effective options in free agency just don’t exist anymore.

With the Draft looming, EDC probably wanted the assurance of locking down a young guy on what turned out to be a pretty cheap deal. His numbers haven’t been what they wanted, but Bate has repeatedly shown that he can gain separation, registering one of the highest separation rates in the league last season. If Todd Monken can deploy Bateman in a similar way to OBJ’s usage last season, giving him more mid-range work instead of low-percentage deep shots, I think you’re going to see his numbers explode this season. The last step becomes developing that missing link of timing and chemistry with Lamar Jackson, which is no small project. If both of those things happen, though, I PROMISE this will look like a good deal down the road.

Brennan Stewart

The Brandon Aiyuk rumors are finally put to rest.

While Bateman may not have been the flashiest receiver in Baltimore’s corps this past season, what’s believed to be a $15 million deal over a three-year span is really, really good value. Considering that he was worth a first round pick back in 2021, it’s more than sensible for the front office to attempt getting everything they can out of Bateman before allowing him to go elsewhere.

The current stats may not be a testament to Bateman’s talent given his low target share (11.8%), but categories he did lead other BAL receivers in this past season were yards per reception (11.5) and air yards per reception, i.e., the distance the ball travels in the air from the line of scrimmage to the receiver (25.4).

In other words, Bateman is shaping up to become Baltimore’s greatest deep threat, but he needs more targets if he’s to have any sort of breakout year. And with Odell Beckham Jr. out of the picture, there’s potential for more targets to head his way, pending what happens in this year’s draft.

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