The Baltimore Ravens have made a high-profile move ahead of the start of the 2021 regular season signing star tight end Mark Andrews to a four-year, $56 million extension.
The extension will make Andrews the third-highest-paid tight end in football in terms of APY behind just George Kittle and Travis Kelce. That’s probably about right given Andrews’ place among the NFL’s elite tight ends.
Andrews’ contract situation was one of the talking points of the offseason with the Ravens looking to get a deal done as soon as possible. Their goal has long been to reach an agreement before the season started.
And on Monday night, they did just that.
Andrews will be staying in Baltimore for the foreseeable future as the organization was able to lock up one of its best players.
While the Andrews extension is certainly a great start, the Ravens’ work is far from over.
A number of other players are on expiring contracts and could be looking for extensions in the near future. Some of those players have already earned it making their impending extensions more of a formality.
But for others, they’ll turn to the 2021 season as they look to prove that they deserve a new contract.
Let’s take a look at three players the Ravens could look to extend with Mark Andrews’ new contract in the books.
3. Bradley Bozeman, C, Ravens
Bradley Bozeman is one of just two returning starters from the Ravens’ 2020 offensive line. Although he won’t be asked to play the same position he did a year ago.
Bozeman will be moving back to center — a position he played in college at Alabama. After two years as Baltimore’s starting left guard, Bozeman will be tasked with providing a long-term solution at the center position.
At least the Ravens hope it will be long-term.
A sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Bozeman will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2021. And if he plays well this season, he’ll more than have earned a new deal.
Bozeman has been a rock-solid starter over the last two years. While far from a star, Bozeman has been a model of consistency having started 32 consecutive games since 2019.
He’s posted Pro Football Focus grades of 63.8 and 63.6 in 2019 and 2020 respectively finishing anywhere between the 35th and 41st guard in the NFL.
That’s a respectable showing, but there’s reason to believe he’ll be even better playing his natural position.
Bozeman’s performance this season will dictate much of the success (or lack thereof) the Ravens offensive line has.
After dealing with some recent struggles at the center position, the Ravens are hoping that Bozeman could provide the same stability and dependability to his new position that he did at left guard.
If he does so, expect him to earn a shiny new extension in the near future.
2. DeShon Elliott, S, Ravens
The Ravens couldn’t really have asked for more from DeShon Elliott when he was unexpectedly thrust into a starting role in 2020.
Following the unexpected release of Earl Thomas, Elliott became the team’s Week 1 starter at free safety despite having played just six career games prior.
A sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Elliott missed his entire rookie season with a fractured forearm before returning in 2019 as a reserve safety. Unfortunately, a knee injury landed him on the injured reserve once again in October.
Elliott was expected to play a backup role again in 2020, but Thomas’ release thrust him into the spotlight. And he managed to exceed most expectations.
The 24-year-old finished with a very respectable PFF grade of 69.6 that ranked 28th out of all safeties in the NFL. It was a strong showing from the young safety —one that had many projecting his future with the organization.
Elliott must prove that he can both stay healthy and keep up the same level of play again in 2021. But if he does that, an extension likely won’t be too far ahead in his future.
With the Ravens balancing a delicate cap situation, Elliott is a player the team could look to move on from in a cost-cutting measure if one of the young safeties on the roster (not that Elliott is old, of course) steps up.
But Elliott could put all those talks to bed if he plays as well as he did last year.
1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens
This is the obvious one that everyone will be talking about. With all due respect to Bozeman and Elliott, the most important contract situation the Ravens still need to sort out is the one involving their franchise quarterback, Lamar Jackson.
No player is as synonymous with the current organization as Jackson and he should receive his monster extension in the near future.
It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.
Jackson and the Ravens seem content biding their time, perhaps well into the 2021 season. Once Josh Allen’s extension was agreed to earlier in the summer, many expected Jackson’s deal not to be too far behind.
But as of now, it appears that extension talks have quieted down with Jackson insisting that he’s focused on the season, not a new contract.
The former MVP is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal in 2021 and is technically still under contract in 2021 after the team picked up his fifth-year option. Hence why there’s no rush from either side.
Jackson will get his money. The Ravens will make him one of the highest-paid players in NFL history. Everyone should come out of this happy.
But until it gets done, it will be just another contract situation hanging over the Ravens’ heads. No future extension is more important than Jackson’s.
That might not just be true for the Ravens. It might be true for the entire NFL.