Baltimore

Ravens

The comment comes during an NFL Insider’s spot in which Rapoport broke down the Ravens’ need to extend and restructure Lamar Jackson’s current deal. One week ago, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he wants to see Likely “be an All-Pro” this season, helpfully providing the 25-year-old tight end with positive commentary for the negotiating table. Likely has proven himself as an above-average receiver at the position but has been limited by his sidekick role behind Mark Andrews. Hopefully, all this talk about lofty expectations and a big payday signals a breakout campaign for Likely. He is scheduled to hit free agency at the end of the season, and if Harbaugh plans to feature him in the passing attack, it would make sense for the team to get a deal done beforehand.

Rapoport suggests that extending Jackson well before his contract’s scheduled end following the 2027 season was all part of the plan. The Ravens inserted “really high” salary cap numbers partway through the deal, in order to facilitate Jackson’s $72.8 million prorated signing bonus. Indeed, his hefty $43.5 million salary cap number in 2025 looks small compared to the consecutive $74.5 million salary cap hits scheduled in each of the next two seasons. Signing Jackson to an extension would help free up salary cap space and allow the Ravens to “potentially do” some other deals, including an extension for TE Isaiah Likely.

For reference, Mitchell was clocked at 20.99 mph during his 2023 rookie season. It’s common for players to claim that they have made substantial physical gains every offseason, regardless of their actual gym habits and rehab program successes. An albeit pad-less 1.41 mph increase certainly suggests that Mitchell has successfully rebuilt his once compromised knee. Mitchell averaged 7.8 carries, 1.5 targets and 11.3 PPR points per game (RB32) during his Weeks 9-15, 2023 hot streak. Derrick Henry’s presence likely prevents Mitchell from returning to that same usage peak, but Mitchell has a chance to become fantasy-relevant if he can come close.

Speaking on the BMore Baseball Podcast, DeCosta mentioned that he met with Jackson in person last week. DeCosta, however, didn’t make it sound like a deal was getting done anytime soon. Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million contract with the Ravens in 2023. He is under contract through 2027, so DeCosta doesn’t have to rush the extension. With the price of elite quarterback play skyrocketing, the two-time MVP is rightfully eying a raise. That may not come this offseason, but the Ravens aren’t going to let Jackson hit free agency when the time comes. They placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson last time his contract was set to expire and he publicly requested a trade. Even though an extension was eventually reached, DeCosta flew dangerously close to the sun while trying to get the most affordable deal. He described those negotiations as arduous and it’s hard to imagine him not getting ahead of the situation this time around.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal includes $20 million in guarantees. The former first-round pick hasn’t lived up to the hype of being the No. 27 overall selection, but he finally found his stride in 2024. Bateman caught 45 passes for 756 yards and nine touchdowns. His yardage and touchdown totals were easily career-highs. Bateman has settled in as a splash play specialist and a high-volume option in the red zone. His five red zone touchdowns tied Isaiah Likely for second on the team behind only Mark Andrews. Bateman is a frustrating fantasy option on a week-to-week basis, but the extension could signal more involvement for him in 2025, especially with Mark Andrews on the decline. Bateman will be a boom/bust WR5 for the upcoming fantasy season.

Mitchell was a home run waiting to happen as a rookie, turning 56 touches into 489 yards and two scores in 2023 before going down with a torn ACL late in the season. He returned late in the following season but didn’t have the same burst. He ran 15 times for 30 yards in five regular season appearances and did not touch the ball on offense in the playoffs. Even if Mitchell returns to form in 2025, there isn’t much room for him to carve out a meaningful role. Derrick Henry put together a career year in his first season with the Ravens and just re-upped his contract with the team. Justice Hill is also coming off a high-water mark campaign, racking up 42 receptions as the team’s third-down back. Mitchell may pitch in the occasional splash play, but fantasy managers don’t need to dig that deep in most formats.

Monken spoke about Flowers during media availability at the Ravens OTA session Tuesday. That’s a good thing for Flowers, who was selected to his first Pro Bowl last season after establishing a new career-high with 1,059 receiving yards. “He’s not only an outside receiver with elite route-running skills,” added Monken. “But he’s unbelievable with the ball in his hands.” Since entering the NFL in 2023, Flowers ranks 19th among wide receivers in target shares at 24.7 percent. " Flowers was targeted five or fewer times in five games last season. The Ravens may want to make him more of a focal point of their game plan if Monken truly believes in his talent.

The long-time Ravens head coach went on to add, “That’d be my goal for him, and he’s capable of it.” It’s no secret that being an All-Pro requires a lot of playing time and a lot of production, and Likely would need both if he hopes to hit Harbaugh’s lofty goal this season. Of course, the challenge is overcoming Mark Andrews, who is presumed to be the Ravens’ TE1 this season. Likely has shown plenty of flashes, including a 9-111-1 performance in Week 1 last season against the Chiefs. He would only catch 33 passes for 366 yards the rest of the season, but the potential is clearly there for Likely to make a bigger impact with more opportunities. A 2025 breakout campaign from Likely wouldn’t be the most surprising thing after Andrews struggled for parts of last season and in the playoffs.

The Ravens took Starks towards the end of the first-round, adding him next to versatile safety Kyle Hamilton. The Ravens’ other starting safety from last season - Ar’Darius Washington - tore his Achilles, meaning Starks will likely be starting immediately in the Ravens secondary. The Georgia product got an $8.697 million signing bonus in his fully-guaranteed four-year, $16.579 million deal.

The 35-year-old 13th-year pro slides in as a 1-for-1 Michael Pierce replacement after the former Raven retired in March. Although strictly a two-down player, Jenkins actually played a new career high 606 snaps for the Raiders last season. He probably won’t reach that total in Baltimore, but he should see plenty of work as a run-stopper.