The Baltimore Ravens have a new coaching staff, and one of the first orders of business for Jesse Minter and company could be a Rashod Bateman trade. Selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Minnesota product flashed moments of brilliance but has yet to turn in an above-average season. The 2025 campaign was especially disappointing, as the wideout recorded just 19 receptions for 224 yards and two touchdowns on 38 targets.
Recently, Rashod Bateman took to Instagram to voice his displeasure with his role in the offense and the Ravens at large. In a series of stories, the disgruntled wideout said that “all a mf needs is real opportunity” and blamed General Manager Eric Decosta for not playing to his player’s strengths.
Wide receivers are infamous for their Instagram posts, and Rashod Bateman’s posts are relatively tame. However, this is still a bad first impression for the new coaching staff, and they could ship him to any of the following three teams.
Ravens Could Trade Rashod Bateman After Latest Instagram Posts
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott but decided to essentially run it back by promoting former offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Perhaps Brady’s leadership can add a missing spark to this team, but the offense won’t improve without dramatic improvements to the wide receiver room.
Khalil Shakir is a fine role player, but the rest of the depth chart leaves a lot to be desired. Rashod Bateman won’t singlehandedly fix this roster, but he should do better here than he did in Baltimore.
New York Giants
This one depends heavily on how the wide receiver feels about his former head coach. While Rashod Bateman clearly wasn’t happy with his usage last year, he never mentioned John Harbaugh in his Instagram posts. If he blames Decosta and Decosta alone for his usage, then he might welcome a reunion with his old coach.
Despite their underwhelming record, the New York Giants showed signs of life last year with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. However, if they want him to take the next step, they’ll need to bring in more support. Getting Malik Nabers back will help, but Wan’Dale Robinson is a free agent, and Darius Slayton is starting to slow down. Bateman could prove to be an upgrade on Slayton and earn a key role in this passing attack.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have their quarterback of the future in second-round pick Tyler Shough. Now, they need to find the pieces to support him. Chris Olave is a solid WR1, but the team needs more support after trading deep threat Rashid Shaheed. Bateman and Shaheed are different players, but the former first-round pick could find a nice home in New Orleans.
The biggest competitive advantage in football is a franchise quarterback on a rookie contract, and the Saints have that. While they probably won’t play in the Super Bowl next year, a full season of Shough should allow this team to compete in a weak NFC South. Bateman’s presence will help New Orleans fight for its first playoff appearance since the Drew Brees Era.
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