OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A year after signing a very team-friendly contract extension amidst awkward circumstances, wide receiver Rashod Bateman has earned a more representative payday from the Ravens.
On Thursday, the team announced a three-year extension worth a reported total of $36.75 million with $20 million of that guaranteed. That will keep the 25-year-old Bateman under contract through 2029 after he was still owed a total of $10.75 million over the next two seasons of the three-year deal signed last year in the wake of the revelation that he’d lost an accrued season in 2023. Instead of dwelling on that frustrating reality or the disappointing start to his NFL career, the 2021 first-round pick enjoyed a breakout 2024 campaign that included career highs in receiving yards (756) and touchdowns (nine) as well as a 16.8 yards per catch average that ranked among the top five in the league.
According to The33rdTeam.com, Bateman’s 77.8% of receptions resulting in a first down or touchdown ranked first in the NFL among players with 40 or more receptions last season. General manager Eric DeCosta rewarded that level of explosiveness and efficiency with a bump in pay as the latter said the sides have been working on an extension since the end of last season.
“I feel like I finally did something on the field that was impressive and something that you can respect and stand on,” Bateman said. “Before that, it was a little bit shocking [that I received the smaller deal last year]. I had some ups and downs here and there, so to be able to be here now feels good.”
Those ups and downs included injuries that limited the University of Minnesota product to just 18 games over his first two seasons. There was also a 2023 offseason spat with DeCosta that stemmed from comments the general manager made about Baltimore’s wide receiver room during the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. Despite those growing pains, DeCosta and the Ravens have remained bullish on Bateman’s potential even as many questioned his ability to overcome the early-career injuries.
Bateman played in 16 games in 2023, but impact production didn’t accompany the improved level of availability with only 32 catches for 367 yards and a touchdown. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound wideout finally put it all together last season, which helped combat the decades-long perception of the organization’s inability to draft quality wide receivers. In addition to Bateman’s career-best production, 2023 first-round pick Zay Flowers became the first wide receiver in franchise history to make the Pro Bowl last season.
“It hits different when it’s a receiver here. We all know the perspective here, and we’ve been through a lot,” Bateman said. “We continue to go through a lot when it comes to facing backlash here and there or wherever it may be. But I’ll just say it means a lot to be able to start something new here, something fresh when it comes to the receivers room. Hopefully, we continue to make plays and change the narrative of what we have here.”
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Even with Bateman now scheduled to make $47.5 million over the next five seasons, that revised average annual value of $9.5 million still ranks only 33rd among wide receivers, according to OverTheCap.com. That’s notable with Flowers eligible for a contract extension as early as next offseason and eight wide receivers having already reached an average annual value of at least $30 million in recent years. In other words, extending Flowers isn’t going to be cheap, so having Bateman on an affordable contract through 2029 should benefit DeCosta and the Ravens in some shape or form.
In 51 career games, Bateman has made 138 catches for 1,923 yards and 13 touchdowns.
