Rookie second-round picks have been the talk of the town this offseason. Many are looking to sign fully guaranteed deals or at least near that. It has led to drawn-out contract negotiations, and with training camp on the horizon, many teams are starting to feel stressed to get the deals done.
The Baltimore Ravens are one team that can shake off the pressure, as they signed edge rusher Mike Green to a four-year $7.4 million contract on Thursday. The deal gets done just two days after rookies reported for training camp on July 15, so he will be ready to go once full-team practices kick off on July 23.
Baltimore Ravens ink Mike Green to rookie deal
Green’s contract was quickly becoming the most stressful part of the Ravens’ offseason. After Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger and Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins signed for fully guaranteed money, the second-round pick market slowed down.
With the Los Angeles Chargers being without their rookie wide receiver Tre Harris due to a contract dispute, the possibility of Green not being available for training camp was becoming more real. However, general manager Eric DeCosta always works things out.
The San Francisco 49ers likely helped push these seemingly stalled deals across the table. They signed their second-round selection, defensive tackle Alfred Collins, to a four-year $10.3 million contract that included $9 million in guarantees. The 43rd overall pick getting his rookie deal done should cause a storm of signings as training camp inches closer. For Green, he can set his sights on the field now.
The 21-year-old will be a crucial piece to Baltimore’s 2025 defense. He crushed opposing offenses in his 2024 campaign at Marshall. He led the nation with 17 sacks and feasted in the backfield with an additional 23 tackles for a loss. Green offers an exciting blend of explosiveness and technique, and should help morph Baltimore’s pass rush into one of the most consistently dominant forces in the league.
The move feels like the final piece to the puzzle for the Ravens. They now have all 11 of their 2025 NFL Draft selections under contract for the season, so the competition this camp will be a full go and should make for some intense battles.