This off-season, money is talking, and the front office is sweating, trying to keep key players on the squad while also managing the salary cap. That’s how it is for some stars – cash over the team. But recently, one of Lamar Jackson‘s teammates proved it’s not always about the dollars. Sometimes, you just put your team above everything else. It’s called elite mentality!
So, when Kendrick Lamar rapped, “Tell me who you loyal to. Is it money? Is it fame?” Ronnie Stanley said, ‘The team.’
The Ravens’ OT disappointed some franchises when he re-signed with his team. Stanley was to be a free agent this season. And according to a few reports, the Pats, Commanders, and Chiefs were seriously considering taking him on board. But Baltimore managed to reach a deal before free agency kicked off.
The 30-year-old has been a part of the Ravens’ offense for nine seasons. On Saturday, SI’s Albert Breer reported, “The Ravens have locked left tackle Ronnie Stanley down with a three-year deal at $60 million.“
Well, now, the talk of the town is that Stanley decided to pledge his allegiance even after he got better offers from other franchises. That’s right. The word around is how the Patriots and the Commanders offered the Ravens OT more. But despite that, he gave the Ravens a discount while re-signing his new deal.
#Ravens Ronnie Stanley gave Baltimore a discount he was offered more from the #Patriots and #Commanders pic.twitter.com/GodZyzFoFe
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) March 12, 2025
The Ravens locking Stanley for $60 million looks like a smart move, especially since the Titans signed Dan Moore Jr. for a four-year deal worth $84 million. The Titans would be paying the ex-Steelers tackle $21 million per year. Per the PFF (Pro Football Focus) ratings, Stanley has been a better pass blocker than Dan, even though Dan has played more games. Dan has a pass-blocking grade of 66.2, while Stanley boasts an impressive 79.6.
Now, that’s not rocket science for fans to judge who reigns supreme!
Only time will tell how these moves will work out for the teams. For now, on paper, it’s a win-win for the Ravens. After locking down a smart financial move, the team must play smartly with the extra draft picks in the kitty.
Can Lamar Jackson’s Ravens maximize their bonus draft picks?
As the free agency episode concluded, the next episode is the 2025 draft picks. It’s still more than a month before the release of this new thrilling episode, but it has got everyone talking. Analysts are busy predicting who could land where. Interestingly, this year, it’s not just the QB class that looks like it will go in the first-round picks. It seems non-QBs will get plucked like rose flowers. Or maybe it’s just too early to suggest anything.
As we gear up for this season’s drafts, the league has also awarded extra draft picks to various teams. Out of 32 teams, 15 teams have the extra draft picks. There are 35 comp picks divided among these 15 teams, as per last year’s free agency. The compensatory draft picks have a formula, and it’s a simple one. The league will give the team that has lost its key players in the previous year’s free agency the extra picks.
Lamar Jackson‘s Ravens received four extra picks, two in round four and two in round six. The Ravens now have a total of eleven picks this year. The Ravens got these extra picks because they lost LB Patrick Queen to the Steelers and LB Jadeveon Clowney to the Panthers. They also lost RB Gus Edwards to the Chargers and CB Ronald Darby to the Jaguars, besides a couple more players.
So, it will be interesting to see how the team uses these extra picks to strengthen its roster for the upcoming season’s run. Baltimore has been good on the gridiron this season, making it to the postseason. The team has been spectacular, ranking number 1 for an entire year among the other 31 franchises. Yet, they need to tighten their defensive screws.
Hopefully, the front office will do that with the extra picks they got.
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