6 Ravens pending free agents worthy of contract extensions before end of season

Half a dozen players having career years or resurgent seasons who deserve an extended stay in Charm City.

The Baltimore Ravens are on the precipice of claiming back-to-back AFC North division titles for the first time since 2019. Their late-season surge has come in large part to a handful of players on both sides of the ball who are slated to become free agents this offseason.

Since taking over the Ravens’ front office, general manager Eric DeCosta has handed out late-season extensions to several key players to keep them from hitting the open market in the offseason. Three previous examples include cornerback Marcus Peters (2019), offensive lineman Patrick Mekari (2021) and inside linebacker Roquan Smith (2022), all of whom were extended on December 28 or later and earned their payday the following year.

Here are six pending free-agent players who deserve to be candidates for contract extensions before the end of the season.

---

LT Ronnie Stanley

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images

After agreeing to a contract restructure in the offseason that reduced his salary and voided the final year of his 2019 mega-extension, the Ravens’ franchise left tackle came into the 2024 season with a lot to prove after years of injuries impacted his availability and effectiveness. With a clean bill of health in a ‘make-it-or-break-it’ year, he has been integral to the success of the offense line as its veteran leader and one of its best performers.

Stanley has started every game this season and played 100% of the team’s offensive snaps of the snaps in all but four. It is near-impossible to find elite blindside talent outside of the top-10 draft picks, so locking up the rejuvenated 30-year-old lineman now would avoid a free agency bidding war.

DB Ar’Darius Washington

Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images

The fourth-year pro will be a restricted free agent after the season, so the Ravens have an easy path to keep him on the roster in 2025. Washington’s ascension into a full-time role next to Kyle Hamilton as deep safeties has coincided with the turnaround of the Ravens’ pass defense. Washington began to take his game to an even higher level as of late, emerging as a playmaker who can generate clutch takeaways and big hits for key stops. Washington has recorded career highs in total tackles (60), tackles for loss (five) and pass breakups (seven) to go along with two interceptions, a forced fumble, a sack and two quarterback hits.

Concerns about his size caused him to go undrafted in 2021 despite putting together an impressive career at Texas Christian University. Injuries prevented him from staying on the field in his first few seasons, but, similar to Stanley, improved health has allowed him to shine and prove himself worthy of a spot in the teams’ future plans. The Ravens are expected to move on from Marcus Williams – who Washington has outperformed since replacing him in the starting lineup – so they should be able to afford an extension before Washington’s price tag rises any further.

OL Patrick Mekari

Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images

The sixth-year veteran is also a former undrafted free agent who overcame skepticism about his less-than-ideal measurables and established himself as one of the most versatile offensive linemen in the league. Mekari is capable of playing all five positions up front and performed so well in his first career start at left guard in Week 3 that he has been the full-time starter ever since. He opened the season as the starting right tackle in a two-man rotation with rookie Roger Rosengarten and remains too valuable as both a depth piece and extended-period starter to hit the open market. The Ravens signed him to his first extension during his third season on a three-year deal worth $15.45 million and should be able to lock him up on a similarly structured contract this time around.

LB Malik Harrison

Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images

The Ravens came into this season with second-year pro Trenton Simpson as the replacement for Pro Bowler and Second Team All-Pro Patrick Queen who departed to a division rival in free agency. While the 2023 third-rounder was the starter for the first 13 games, he has lost snaps to Malik Harrison over the last month. Since Week 12, when Harrison filled in at the MIKE spot for Roquan Smith, the fifth-year veteran has played at least 60% of the team’s total defensive snaps at a high level on four occasions. He has started six games and recorded career-highs across the board including total tackles (51), tackles for loss (three), sacks (two) and quarterback hits (three).

Originally drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft as an off-ball linebacker, Harrison’s positional versatility to play on the edge as a SAM on early downs has made him a key cog in this defense who can make impactful plays no matter where he lines up. Multifaceted players such as Harrison who contribute on defense and special teams are well-deserving of another deal.

FB Patrick Ricard

Photo by Charles Brock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The arrival of offensive coordinator Todd Monken in 2023 raised questions about Ricard’s future in Baltimore’s offense. The four-time Pro Bowler has proven that he is just as key to the success of their rushing attack as he was under Greg Roman even if he doesn’t play nearly as many snaps. The pairing between Ricard and Derrick Henry who arrived via free agency this offseason has been a match made in heaven as the two of them combine for nearly 550 pounds coming downhill in the run game, a scary sight for any defensive front. Given that his position is still a dying breed that not many offenses in the league carry, locking him up shouldn’t be cost-prohibitive.

WR Tylan Wallace

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The fourth-year pro continues to be one of the best special teams players not just on the Ravens, but in the entire league. He is an excellent gunner when covering kicks and punts who made an impressive play to keep a ball from bouncing into the end zone for a touchback against the Steelers in Week 16. Wallace has also made three tackles on special teams as well including two solos and has returned six punts for 67 yards with a long of 21.

In addition to his prowess on special teams, Wallace has proved he can contribute meaningfully on offense this season. He has caught all 11 of his targets for a career-high 193 receiving yards and his first career touchdown on an incredible 84-yard catch-and-run for a tying score against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10. Rewarding those who pay their dues, work their way up the depth chart and prove themselves in the third phases of the game is what this organization is well known for under head coach John Harbaugh.