Back in the day, running backs were the NFL’s rock stars. But lately, they’ve been treated more like background singers—essential, yet underappreciated. In 2023, the average running back salary was just $1.8 million, even less than what kickers made. Teams have been hesitant to invest heavily in them, fearing they’ll burn out by 30. But the beauty of time is that it changes. The 2025 NFL offseason is flipping the script. In what manner, you ask?
Well, this offseason feels like a renaissance for RBs. David Montgomery inked an $18 million extension with the Lions, and Aaron Jones re-signed with Minnesota for $20 million. To make it interesting and even heftier, Saquon Barkley snagged a $41.2 million extension, and Derrick Henry, at 31, secured a $30 million, two-year deal with the Ravens. Suddenly, being a running back isn’t so bad.
But before you start punching your fist in the air to express joy for the RBs, let’s talk about the tricky part of Henry’s contract extension. See, the silver lining for the Lions and the Eagles is that Montgomery and Barkley are just 27 and 28 years old, respectively. That means the guys still have some fuel left in the tank. But in the case of Henry? It’s different.
Entering the final year of his $16 million contract with the Ravens, the 31-year-old RB signed a two-year contract extension. However, the last time we checked, the running backs start to decline after turning 30 due to physical wear and tear and an increase in injury and recovery time. And that’s where it gets pretty tricky for the Ravens.
A couple of days ago, Mike Florio and Charean Williams appeared on NFL on NBC, where they discussed why John Harbaugh and team needed to keep Derrick Henry on their roster. However, Florio pointed out that the team would require a tough conversation with Henry in a year or two.
“It looks like Derrick Henry will never be anything but Derrick Henry,” Florio said. “And that’s the question. Does he push it beyond the limit? Is there a tough conversation that needs to be had a year from now, two years from now?” Well, for the time being, nobody knows if John Harbaugh and Co. will need a tough conversation with Henry in a couple of years.
However, if history has taught us anything, then it’s better to have the conversation early than to be stuck playing catch-up later. Remember Eddie George? Yeah, the former Titans‘ four-time Pro Bowler. Back in 2003 (when he was 30), the Titans’ legend rushed for 1,031 yards, no doubt. But he averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, which was a career low. The result?
The Titans released him, and he signed a one-year deal with Dallas. But did that improve his performance? Absolutely not. In fact, he served as a backup to rookie Julius Jones and was effectively done as a starter. As Mike Florio pointed out, “Remember how Eddie George just all of a sudden it was over? There was never any one thing,” Florio recalled. “There was never an ACL tear, an Achilles tendon, or a broken leg there. No, it was just that’s it. It’s done.”
So, Derrick Henry is with the Ravens for a few more years, no doubt. But it’s likely the franchise will have some discussion for his future in coming years—at least that’s what Mike Florio believes.
Derrick Henry is locked in with Lamar Jackson for the long haul
After weeks of waiting, Derrick Henry finally inked a deserving two-year contract extension with Baltimore. However, the rumor mill and the NFL analysts alike are already buzzing about his future with the Ravens. But let’s be real—the guy just had one of the best seasons of his career. Not to mention, he became the first RB in the league to have 1,500+ rushing yards and 15+ rushing touchdowns in 3 different seasons. The result?
Well, the front office re-signed him on a two-year, $30 million contract extension. And that means only one thing—Derrick is now locked in for a few more years with his quarterback, Lamar Jackson. And right after that went down, the QB didn’t waste any time reacting to react on his RB’s contract extension. He hopped on his IG handle in collaboration with the NFL and shared a few pictures of himself with Derrick. “This duo is locked in for the long haul ,” the caption reads.
Lamar then reshared the same picture in his IG story, and expressed his gratitude with just three emojis, “.” Just like that.
That being said, Derrick Henry is now entering the second season with the Ravens after starting every game last year. The guy had 1,931 rushing yards and racked up a record-16 rushing touchdowns.
Now, we’ll see if he can pull off some 2024 season magic in this season, or Mike Florio’s concerns are going to feel a little too on point.
The post John Harbaugh & Ravens to Cut Derrick Henry Despite $30M Contract Announcement – Report appeared first on EssentiallySports.