Owings Mills, Maryland — On Wednesday, the Baltimore Ravens extended wide receiver Rashod Bateman’s contract for two years, keeping the 2021 first-round pick with the team through 2026.
The team confirmed the agreement on Wednesday, putting a stop to speculation that it will move him. They had until May 2 to decide whether to use their fifth-year option.
Bateman, picked 27th overall, was the first first-round wide receiver to sign a second contract with the Ravens.
“Congratulations to ‘Bate’ and his family,” Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “This is a good day for the Ravens.”
Bateman has 93 catches and four touchdowns over three seasons.
Injuries curtailed his first two seasons, limiting him to only 18 games. He finished his first full season with 32 receptions for 367 yards and one touchdown.
In 2022, he missed all but six games due to Lisfranc surgery on his left foot, an injury that lasted far into last spring and raised the possibility of another season-ending procedure. The previous year, groin surgery forced him to miss the first five games of his rookie season.
He also appeared out of sync with quarterback Lamar Jackson at times last season, but not all of this can be blamed on Bateman. Bateman rated 31st among 109 wide receivers with at least 30 targets in 2023, according to ESPN’s “open score,” which analyzes player-tracking data to measure the chances of a receiver making a catch if targeted. And, according to Pro Football Focus’ separation grades for receivers, Bateman was among the best in the league. In other words, he was open frequently, but the ball was not always thrown his way or delivered accurately.
Nonetheless, Bateman has only 34 career regular-season games under his belt and 93 catches for 1,167 yards and four touchdowns, hardly the kind of figures that, in isolation, would entice many teams to offer him a contract.
But beyond Bateman, second-year receiver Zay Flowers, who led the team in catches and receiving yards last season, and veteran Nelson Agholor, Baltimore’s receiving corps gets very thin very quick. The only other receivers on the roster are Tylan Wallace, who plays mostly on special teams, and second-year pass catcher Sean Ryan, who didn’t play a snap last season. The Ravens could draft a receiver – and likely still will – but finding an immediate contributor is anything but a guarantee.
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