How Will Saquon Barkley's New Deal Impact Potential Contract Extension for Derrick Henry?
As the Ravens look at potentially signing Derrick Henry to a contract extension, the Philadelphia Eagles inked Saquon Barkley to an extension Tuesday that makes him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
Barkley's two-year extension is reportedly worth $41.2 million in new money and includes $36 million guaranteed with an additional $15 million in incentives. The new deal, which locks up Barkley through 2028, makes him the first running back to earn $20-plus million per year.
How this affects an extension for Henry remains to be seen. Even before Barkley's new contract, Henry was in line for a significant pay increase.
The Ravens signed Henry last offseason to a two-year deal reportedly worth $16 million plus incentives that could boost the total up to $20 million. It proved to be a tremendous bargain.
Henry rushed for 1,921 yards and a league-high 16 touchdowns in his first season with Baltimore. Only Barkley had more rushing yards (2,005).
The 31-year-old Henry, who is three years older than Barkley, has said that he wants to finish his career with the Ravens.
When General Manager Eric DeCosta was asked at the Scouting Combine last week about extending Henry, he said: "I think we have a picture of Derrick going up on my [office] wall. So, what does that tell you?"
ESPN Pundit Predicts Ronnie Stanley Will Sign With Patriots
Despite it being reported earlier this week that the Ravens were expected to re-sign left tackle Ronnie Stanley "in the coming days," ESPN’s Dan Graziano predicted the two-time Pro Bowler will hit the open market and sign with the New England Patriots.
ESPN's Mike Reiss projected the Patriots' offer to be four years, $100 million ($65 million guaranteed), while ESPN's Jamison Hensley projected the Ravens' offer to be three years, $60 million ($43 million guaranteed).
"This is the kind of deal that makes a player feel as if the team wants to build its offseason around him," Graziano said of the hypothetical Patriots offer. "Stanley considers himself one of the elite left tackles in the league, and this is a contract that shows the Patriots agree."
Per Over The Cap, the Patriots have a league-high $127.4 million in cap space, while the Ravens have 12.2 million.
Stanley is No. 1 on ESPN's rankings of remaining free agents.
Ravens Again Linked to DeAndre Hopkins
Every time wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has been a free agent or on the trade block, the Ravens were mentioned as potential suitors for the five-time Pro Bowler. This offseason is no different.
Fox Sports’ Henry McKenna predicted Hopkins, a pending free agent, will sign with Baltimore.
"Hopkins is fading, but he's the type of receiver who could help the Ravens, who have as good a shot as anyone at making the Super Bowl next season," McKenna wrote. "Hopkins, 32, has made plenty of money. He's ring chasing. Baltimore should have the right amount of snaps for a receiver like Hopkins, who would play behind Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and probably Rashod Bateman. And I suspect that would be just fine for Hopkins."
Hopkins, who was traded from Tennessee Titans to the Kansas City Chiefs before the trade deadline last year, finished the season with 56 catches for 610 yards and five touchdowns.
Hopkins didn't make a significant impact in the postseason, where he had three receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown over three games. His touchdown catch came in the Chiefs' loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
On a side note, Davante Adams, another big-name wide receiver often linked to the Ravens, was released by the New York Jets Tuesday. Adams, 32, surpassed 1,000 yards receiving this past season for the sixth time in seven years.
Lamar Jackson Named Best Player in Loaded Age Group
Some of the greatest players in the NFL are 28, but none are greater than Lamar Jackson, in the opinion of Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, who named the best current player at every age.
Players in Jackson's age group include Buffalo Bills quarterback and 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, and Barkley.
"We're giving Jackson a slight edge because of his unique ability to do things that no other quarterback can do," Knox wrote. "He is the league's preeminent dual-threat, and he already has two MVPs on his resume — and one could easily argue that he should have won a third in 2024.
"Burrow and Allen are great too, and Barkley just set a new NFL record for rushing yards in a season (regular and postseason combined). However, Jackson is arguably the most unique player we've ever seen and appears to only be getting better over time."
Pundit Says Ravens Will Give 'Serious Consideration' to Taking an Edge Rusher in First Round
The Ravens are known for their best-player-available draft philosophy, but The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec came away from the Combine feeling there's a good chance they will be looking closely at edge rushers in the first round.
"If you look at their needs and this draft class, it's a pretty safe bet that an edge rusher will get strong consideration," Zrebiec wrote. "Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart, Georgia's Mykel Williams, Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. and Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku probably won't all be available, but a couple of them almost certainly will be and they'll garner strong interest from a team that needs to add an explosive edge rusher. This draft feels like the time to do it."
Whether it's via the draft, free agency, or trade, the Ravens are looking to add to an outside linebacker group led by Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, who had 12.5 and 10 sacks, respectively, last season.
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: Who's Out There?: Wide Receivers
- Edge rusher prospects Landon Jackson and Joshua Farmer both named Jackson the NFL quarterback they are most looking forward to sacking.
