Ravens agree to extension with fifth-year RB

The Ravens were among the teams that made a notable outside free-agent addition at the running back spot this offseason. One of Baltimore’s incumbent options in the backfield now has a new deal in place.

Justice Hill has agreed to an extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. He adds that this will be a two-year, $6M deal for the veteran. Hill — who has spent his entire career in Baltimore — will be under contract through the 2026 season due to this news, which is now official.

Selected in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, Hill has remained a complementary option in the backfield through much of his tenure. He was one of three Ravens running backs who suffered a season-ending injury before the 2021 campaign began, but since then, he has not had availability issues. Hill has remained a core special teams contributor (as a kick returner and in other roles), but this new deal comes after his most productive campaign.

The 26-year-old set career highs across the board in 2023, racking 593 scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns. With J.K. Dobbins suffering an Achilles tear early in the year, Hill was counted on as a critical backfield member throughout the campaign while splitting reps with Gus Edwards and — for a stretch in the middle of the season — undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell. Plenty has changed since the end of the 2023 slate.

Dobbins and Edwards departed in free agency, while the Ravens added Derrick Henry on a two-year deal. The longtime Titans star nearly found himself in Baltimore ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. Still, he joined the team amidst high expectations on early downs and goal-line situations. With Mitchell continuing to rehab the ACL tear that ended his encouraging rookie year, Hill has been leaned on as a key pass-catching option early in 2024. Friday’s deal means that it will continue for the foreseeable future.

The Oklahoma State product signed a two-year extension in March 2023; that pact carried an AAV of $2.55M. Since then, his work on offense and special teams has drawn strong reviews from the team and earned him a slight raise. The Ravens’ Henry investment does not include any guaranteed salary for next year, leading to uncertainty regarding his status next spring. Likewise, it remains to be seen how Mitchell will fare and how large of a workload he will handle once healthy. However, Baltimore’s RB room will shake out in 2024 and beyond, and Hill will be a notable presence.