A number of wide receivers are skipping offseason workouts this year as they push for new contracts, but Rashod Bateman did not have to go that route.
Bateman was headed into the final year of his rookie contract when he signed a new deal with the Ravens that runs through the 2026 season. The 2021 first-round pick told reporters on Tuesday that he came into the offseason with no inkling that a deal was on the horizon and that he wondered if he might be traded, but once an extension was on the table it was an easy decision to make.
“The extension came out of nowhere,” Bateman said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. “I’m blessed, for sure. I did not see them doing that. It shows that they believe in me, believe in my work, my ethic. The team believes in me, so it was a no-brainer.”
Bateman had 93 catches for 1,167 yards and four touchdowns over his first three seasons and the Ravens probably wouldn’t have extended his stay with the team if they didn’t think he’s capable of even more over the next three years.