Cornerback Tavon Young has agreed to a contract extension with the Ravens, according to multiple reports.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, it's a three-year extension. Young was under contract through 2019.
The Ravens have scheduled a press conference for Friday where the extension is expected to be formally announced.
Young referred to the reported contract extension on Twitter.
With this extension, the Ravens are keeping a 24-year-old member of their defense in the fold as he enters his prime. Young will turn 25 next month.
Young has spent three seasons with the Ravens and has blossomed into one of their best defensive players. Not only is he adept at covering slot receivers, he is one of their best open-field tacklers and playmakers. Despite his 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame, Young plays with big-time physicality. In short, he plays like a Raven.
Young was a fourth-round draft pick out of Temple in 2016 and immediately earned playing time as a rookie with 44 tackles and two interceptions in 16 games. Because of injuries, he started 11 games, including as an outside corner. Young missed the entire 2017 season after suffering a torn ACL in June of that year.
However, Young bounced back with his best season in 2018 when he returned to his best position in the slot, which is an extremely important spot. He logged 37 tackles, two sacks, one interception and two touchdowns. Young returned two fumble recoveries for touchdowns last season, one against the Atlanta Falcons and one against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Young battled through a sports hernia injury down the stretch and had to sit out the Ravens' playoff loss to the Chargers. He had surgery after the season ended.
Young had one more season remaining on his rookie deal, but at his press conference last month, General Manager Eric DeCosta talked about the importance of re-signing some of the Ravens' young players before they reached free agency.
The Ravens have reportedly agreed to trade former franchise quarterback Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos next month, and have more salary cap flexibility moving forward than they have had in previous seasons.
"I think that we would love to keep as much young talent as we can in Baltimore," DeCosta said. "That's hard to do at times when you have a really, really good quarterback who's making a lot of money, and you have less cap room. It is tougher for you to keep your roster intact. It is a lot easier to do when you don't have those parameters."
It's a similar move to the one the Ravens made in 2012 when they signed cornerback Lardarius Webb, who bore some resemblances to Young, to a five-year extension before his rookie contract expired. Webb ended up being a Raven for his entire career.
Young's teammates had a big reaction on Twitter:
