The King stays in Charm City, as the Baltimore Ravens re-sign veteran All-Pro running back Derrick Henry to a two-year, $30 million deal. He was slated to become a free agent next offseason after signing a two-year deal last year in free agency, but the 31-year-old is being retained for another two seasons in Baltimore.
This was a no-brainer, as he had the quietest almost 2,000 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns season in 2024 in his first season as a Raven. Henry will continue to do so with Lamar Jackson till 2027 at the very least and another season with Todd Monken.
This move, first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, was actually a frugal move as well for the aging running back. According to Brian McFarland of Ravens Salary Cap, it saves Baltimore $5 million for 2025. With other extensions likely upcoming, like young superstars like safety Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum, along with Jackson himself, this move is a win-win.
Henry gets $25 million fully guaranteed over the next two seasons, which is in the top four in terms of guaranteed money for a running back and is the most for his age currently in the NFL. According to Spotrac, this puts him right behind Jonathan Taylor, rookie Ashton Jeanty, and Saquon Barkley. He is above Christian McCaffrey, as Barkley was also extended this offseason after the Super Bowl.
Big picture, this likely gives the Ravens another two-year window to get to the Super Bowl with him and Jackson under center, as running backs historically tail off after 29. But Henry has been the absolute outlier, as the future Hall of Famer will look to keep going for another two seasons at the very least in Baltimore.
I would expect more extensions to be done long term for their young stars/ former first-round picks that have panned out as All-Pros. There is no reason why Baltimore can’t get to the AFC Title game once again, and now with additions like DeAndre Hopkins, this makes this offense even more improved for 2025.
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