Ronnie Stanley could have waited a few days and entertained a potential bidding war among teams looking for an All-Pro left tackle. Frequently ranked among the top pending free agents in the 2025 class, Stanley was likely to attract plenty of interest.
Stanley, though, said he gave the Ravens “first dibs … out of respect” as the organization that drafted him at No. 6 overall out of Notre Dame in 2016. The two sides then agreed to a three-year, $60 million deal a couple of days before free agency officially began.
The deal rewarded Stanley after one of the best seasons of his career and also accomplished the top offseason goal for general manager Eric DeCosta.
Speaking at a news conference via Zoom on March 17, Stanley acknowledged that the Ravens’ salary-cap limitations complicate the roster-building process, but he said the deal — which includes $44 million in guaranteed money — struck “a good balance that could help the team, and something I’m still happy with.”
The deal includes three void years that push some dead money into the future, leaving Stanley’s cap hit this year at just $5.8 million, according to overthecap.com, which tracks player contracts.
Stanley’s status was the top storyline of the Ravens offseason, and speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine, both DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh had expressed optimism that Stanley would re-sign with the team. At his news conference, Stanley made clear that the optimism was not just the classic spring smokescreen.
Asked about the idea of testing the market in free agency, Stanley said, “I don’t think we ever got that far. … (The Ravens) showed interest. We were talking, so I think just through the whole time I knew that they were interested, and we were possibly going to get something done.”
Stanley, who turned 31 on March 18, said he never saw himself as someone who would play his entire career with one team, but now that he is entering Year 10 with the same team and a new contract, he said it is “a really cool thing. I’m very happy and appreciative that I could be one of those players that could experience that.”
But Stanley also made it clear that what he really wants to experience is a Super Bowl.
The Ravens have reached the postseason in six of the past seven seasons, and the offense has set a slew of franchise and league records in the process. But in that span, the Ravens are 3-7 in the postseason and have reached the AFC Championship Game just once.
“We’ve broken so many records in the last however many years,” Stanley said. “I don’t think we really care about it, to be honest, especially the guys that have been here. I think the only thing we really care about is winning a Super Bowl.”
Stanley called the Ravens’ postseason pursuits “unfinished business. I don’t think anyone’s really happy.”
This past year, the Ravens finished 12-5 and won the AFC North for the second straight year but lost in the divisional round at Buffalo, 27-25.
“It definitely took me a minute to get over that,” Stanley said. “But those are the type of games that just stick with you for a while, maybe even a lifetime.”
One day after signing a five-year, $98.7 million extension in October 2020, Stanley suffered a major ankle injury that sidelined him for the remainder of that season. He tried to return for the 2021 season but was shut down after just one game and underwent more surgery. He fought through injuries the next two seasons as well, missing a total of 10 games.
Stanley took a $7.5 million pay cut before the 2024 season and the final year of his previous contract was voided, meaning he was set to become a free agent this spring. He responded with one of the best seasons of his career.
Stanley played in every game for the first time in his nine NFL seasons, anchoring the line for a Ravens offense that became the first in league history to amass 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in the same season.
With Stanley’s return, the offense is expected to return largely intact for offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who signed an extension as well after being a candidate for a few head coaching jobs this past winter. Led by quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Derrick Henry, tight end Mark Andrews and wide receiver Zay Flowers, the offense added another weapon this spring with the free agent signing of All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Stanley said he had “a huge smile on my face” when he heard of the Hopkins signing, and added that the locker room vibe also played a major role in his decision to eschew free agency and preemptively re-sign with the Ravens.
“The players are definitely the biggest driver of why I like being in Baltimore,” he said.
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