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Bateman signed a three-year extension with Baltimore this week
Earlier this week, the Baltimore Ravens made an interesting move by extending receiver Rashod Bateman to a three-year, $36.75 million deal. This might seem like a nothingburger in isolation, but it’s worth noting here that Bateman just signed an extension last offseason, too, and hadn’t even played a game on his previous deal. In total, his back-to-back extensions combined for the cost of $49.62 million over five years, bringing his average salary up to nearly $10 million from his $6.4 million number on his 2024 extension.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, one reason for this new contract in Baltimore is that Bateman asked the Ravens for an extension this offseason, the team told him no, but then allowed him to search for a suitor who would via trade before ultimately choosing just to pay the receiver. Per Fowler, three teams that showed interest in Bateman when he was on the trade block were the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers.
The fact that these were the teams linked to an available receiver isn’t surprising. The Cowboys traded for George Pickens this offseason, the Patriots signed Stefon Diggs to a $63.5 million contract in late March and the Packers ended up drafting two receivers in the top 100 picks of the 2025 draft with Texas’ Matthew Golden (23rd overall) and TCU’s Savion Williams (87th overall).
Despite what the Packers have said about just taking the best player available this offseason, they were clearly in the receiver market leading up to the draft. With Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs in contract years in 2025, and Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks following in 2026, the team’s actions haven’t suggested that they’re willing to pony up extension money for their homegrown pass-catchers in an exploding receiver market.
Bateman recorded career highs of 756 receiving yards and 9 receiving touchdowns in 2024 as a 25-year-old. It’s also worth noting here that at 6’1” and 195 pounds, he has the frame that Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has typically looked for, as the LaFleur-era Green Bay offenses have prioritized size as the unit’s most important trait.
