Rashod Bateman

Ravens signed WR Rashod Bateman to a two-year extension.

Bateman’s extension is old news, but the details surrounding it were only recently explained by The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec. Zrebiec pointed out that Bateman was not eligible for a fifth-year option on his rookie deal after he opened training camp on the Did Not Report List last offseason. That fifth-year extension would have kept Bateman on his rookie deal through 2025. Instead, this two-year extension will kick in next season, keeping him under contract through 2026. It feels evergreen at this point to say the Ravens are hoping for a leap from Bateman this upcoming season, but with Odell Beckham Jr. now gone and the team only using a fourth-round pick on wide receiver Devontez Walker, the hope for a massive leap is truly there. Bateman caught just 32 passes for 367 yards and one touchdown last season and was targeted on just 16.3 percent of his routes. It’s far from an alpha performance from the soon-to-be fourth-year receiver, who shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a WR4 in early fantasy drafts.