Ravens re-sign LT Ronnie Stanley just ahead of start of free agency

Brian Wacker, The Baltimore Sun on Mar 8, 2025

Published in Football

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BALTIMORE — Ronnie Stanley is staying with the Ravens.

Baltimore signed the Pro Bowl left tackle to a contract extension Saturday worth $60 million over three years with $44 million guaranteed over the first two years, a source with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.

The move comes less than 48 hours before Stanley was set to become an unrestricted free agent. The NFL’s legal tampering period, which is when teams can begin contacting representatives of pending free agents, begins Monday at noon, and players can officially sign contracts beginning Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

That deal makes Stanley, for the moment, the eighth-highest paid left tackle in the league in terms of average annual salary, along with the Detroit Lions’ Taylor Decker and just ahead of the Los Angeles Rams’ Alaric Jackson, who signed a three-year, $57 million extension two weeks ago.

The Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots were among the teams reportedly interested in Stanley had he reached the open market. But he never got there, with salary-cap stretched Baltimore deciding it was worth the splurge to retain the services of the former All-Pro and quarterback Lamar Jackson’s familiar blindside protector — and Stanley preferring to stay with the only organization he’s ever been with.

It helped, too, that Stanley, whom the Ravens drafted sixth overall out of Notre Dame in 2016, was coming off his best season in a while.

After a down year in 2023 in which he rotated in and out down the stretch, he rebounded in a big way this past season. He allowed just two sacks, per Pro Football Focus, and ranked 12th among tackles in ESPN’s pass block win rate.

Importantly, Stanley, who has a long injury history with 36 games missed since 2020, showed that he could stay healthy.

Last season, he didn’t miss a game for the first time in his career. He was also on the field for 98% of the offense’s plays and logged a career-high 1,089 snaps.

“I thought it was very motivating to get back to what I expect myself to be,” Stanley said last October. “The performance I had in the past were always something that gave me something to work harder and make sure I never go back to that place I was.”

His play earned him a Pro Bowl selection (as an alternate), he was a valuable mentor to the team’s younger linemen and no doubt helped pave the way for one of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“Ronnie Stanley deserves so much credit,” coach John Harbaugh said during the season. “He’s really having a good year, and he’s got a lot of football left in him. I expect him to keep improving. I think he’s going to keep on the rise.”

With Jackson and running back Derrick Henry leading the way, the Ravens led the NFL in yards per game (426.5), became the first team in NFL history to throw for at least 4,000 yards and run for at least 3,000 in the same season and their 7,224 total yards ranked third all-time. Baltimore also ranked 15th in pressure rate allowed and Jackson was sacked just 23 times on his way to a career-high 4,172 yards passing and franchise-record 41 touchdown passes.

But bringing Stanley back also comes with risk. He will turn 31 this month and concerns about his injury history aren’t completely eradicated after 2024.

In 2020, Stanley suffered a season-ending ankle injury seven games into the season. The following year, his season was wiped out again as he underwent surgery on the same ankle one game into the schedule. Problems continued to pile up, too, as he missed six games in 2022 because of his ankle injury and four more in 2023 because of a knee injury.

Between his struggles to stay healthy and poor play, Stanley also took a $7.5 million pay cut before last season with the Ravens needing to create salary cap space and the veteran needing to prove that he would be worth another big investment.

He delivered with one of his best seasons yet. His 70.7 PFF overall grade was his highest since 2021 and his 80.9 pass blocking mark ranked 12th among all tackles (minimum 1,000 snaps) last season.

Stanley’s return, however, also means the Ravens could have a new starter at left guard once again.

Versatile offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, who replaced Andrew Vorhees following an ankle injury four games into last season, is also set to become a free agent. After starting all 17 games — first at right tackle, then at left guard — and playing well, he is projected to fetch a three-year deal worth $8.68 million a season, per PFF, on the open market.

Already, several teams have expressed interest in the former undrafted free agent who will turn 28 in August. Given Baltimore’s salary cap constraints and other needs, it figures to be difficult to keep him, especially with Vorhees expected to be fully healthy for next season.

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