Alejandro Villanueva’s contract named the worst on the Ravens roster
By Kristen Wong
The Baltimore Ravens‘ front office is generally spot on when it comes to making sensible contracts, but the team may have messed this one up.
Offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva likely won’t return next season as the Ravens prepare to rebuild their offensive line.
In 2021, Baltimore signed Villanueva from the Pittsburgh Steelers on a two-year, $14 million dollar contract to add depth at left tackle, but Villanueva didn’t perform up to par this past season.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine listed every NFL team’s worst contract heading into the offseason based on three main criteria: money owed, performance relative to cost, and player mobility.
Per Ballentine, Ravens’ veteran tackle Alejandro Villanueva has the worst deal on the team and would likely be cut this offseason:
"“Alejandro Villanueva is the rare example of Baltimore taking a gamble on a veteran that hasn’t panned out. The Ravens signed Villanueva after trading Orlando Brown Jr. to the Kansas City Chiefs. They brought him in to be a stopgap at right tackle, but they might have been better off going with a younger option that at least had some upside.”"
Alejandro Villanueva should be an easy cut for the Baltimore Ravens in 2022
You’d be hard-pressed to find an outrageous contract on the Ravens roster since Eric DeCosta has a pretty good record at cutting deals.
Baltimore have big money moves to make regarding key players on the roster: potentially re-signing Bradley Bozeman and Anthony Averett, extending Lamar Jackson, and perhaps moving on from Marcus Peters.
One of their easiest decisions, however, should be releasing Alejandro Villanueva, which will save the team roughly $6 million in cap space in 2022.
Villanueva played left tackle for most of last season and allowed nine sacks on Lamar Jackson, tied for the second-highest in the league.
The 33-year-old technically still has one more year in his deal, but the Ravens probably won’t want to absorb his $9 million dollar salary given that he isn’t a reliable starter.
dark. Next. 5 Ravens who improved the most during the 2021 season
The Ravens already have a decent amount of cap space to work with next season, but getting rid of Villanueva is almost a no-brainer.