The team could be on the verge of signing the two-time rushing champion.
According to 247sports’ Brad Stainbrook, not only have the Baltimore Ravens and running back Derrick Henry been in contact during the NFL’s legal tampering period, the team has offered the four-time Pro Bowler a multi-year contract with an average of $6.5 million.
Source: #Ravens current offer to free agent running back Derrick Henry is in the range of $6.5M per year.
— Brad Stainbrook (@StainbrookNFL) March 12, 2024
There were several notable running backs that agreed to terms in principle with new teams on the first day of the legal tampering period. Henry is the most accomplished, as a former First-Team All-Pro, 2020 Offensive Player of the Year, four-time Pro Bowler, and two-time NFL rushing champion.
While the rumored offer the Ravens have on the table for the former Tennessee Titans’ legendary bell cow is almost less than half of the $12.3 average annual salary that Saquon Barkley agreed to with the Philadelphia Eagles and the $12 million Josh Jacobs will get annually with the Green Bay Packers, the sizable disparity is somewhat understandable. Given Henry’s age at 30-years-old and the tremendous amount of treadwear with 2,030 career carries in just the regular season alone, that is more in line with what a player at this point in his career would garner on the open market.
Although, if any active running back is capable of staving off the inevitable cliff all players at the position tend to hit after nearly a decade in the league, it is Henry. He has been the model of consistency in terms of durability and production, having appeared in at least 15 games, rushed for over 1,000 yards, and scored double-digit touchdowns in five of the last six seasons. In the one year he failed to meet just half those totals, he still rushed for 937 yards and 10 touchdowns in just eight regular season games in 2021, when he suffered a foot injury that put him out of commission until the playoffs.
In 2023, Henry finished first in the league in carries (280), second in rushing yards (1,167) and tied for the fifth-most rushing touchdowns (12). He can still be highly productive until proven otherwise and would be a steal at the rumored average annual salary Stainbrook is reporting.