RAVENS SIGN TWO-TIME RUSHING YARDS LEADER DERRICK HENRY TO A TWO-YEAR DEAL
The Baltimore Ravens signed superstar free agent Derrick Henry to a two-year contract on Tuesday, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Henry’s new deal keeps him in Baltimore through the 2025 season, a significant two-year, $16 million deal that’s worth up to $20 million. A Florida native, Henry will get $9 million of his new deal fully guaranteed in his first year with the team. Henry responded to the news of his signing by posting on X: “Flock Nation I swea it’s up!”
The move pairs both Henry and dynamic quarterback Lamar Jackson in what should be a scary running threat in the AFC North. Jackson won his second MVP last year and both players – Heisman trophy winners in college – have openly talked about their ambitions to win the Super Bowl at the next level. The coveted Lombardi trophy is a feat that has eluded both Henry and Jackson in their pro careers thus far.
Henry has the most rushing yards of any running back in the NFL since 2018 (8,268) and Jackson boasts the same feat amongst the league’s quarterbacks (5,258), which should bode well for the league’s perennial no.1 rushing team. Baltimore’s offensive identity since the franchise’s inception in 1996 has always been in the running game and the team doubled down on that with what’s a headline making move in free agency.
The Ravens tried to acquire Henry via a trade with Tennessee Titans ahead of the trade deadline in November but talks fell through, forcing the team to wait for the offseason to get their player. Expected to be a highly coveted free agent, the four-time Pro Bowl running back was linked with a move to the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens this offseason.
Baltimore led the league with 2,661 rushing yards last season and were in dire need of a no.1 running back following season-ending injuries to JK Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell last year, and the impending contract situation of sixth-year running back Gus Edwards. Edwards eventually ended up signing a two-year, $6.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday.
A two-time NFL rushing yards and rushing touchdowns leader, Henry could lessen the load for Lamar Jackson, who has led the Ravens in rushing yards in each of the past five seasons. Jackson had 148 carries for 821 rushing yards last year while adding five scores on the ground.
Only one Ravens running back has had a 1,000+ rushing yard season in Jackson’s six years in Baltimore, which is expected to change with Henry in the team’s backfield. Another Heisman trophy winner, former Saints running back Mark Ingram II, ran for 1,018 yards when Lamar Jackson won his first MVP in 2019. Henry himself has rushed for over 1,000 yards in five of his past six seasons in the NFL.
One of the best players in the NFL over the past decade, the 6-foot-3, 247-pound halfback spent the last eight years with the Tennessee Titans, notching over 2,000 carries for 9,502 rushing yards and 90 rushing touchdowns. Henry’s total rushing scores mark have him tied with Hall of Fame running backs Curtis Martin and Eric Dickerson for the 13th most all-time. He was also voted as the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 after registering 2,027 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns.
Two years removed from a nagging Jones fracture and playing behind a porous offensive line, Henry helped guide a struggling Tennessee Titans team to six wins last year, recording the league’s second-best rushing yards mark (1,167) and adding 12 rushing touchdowns on the ground as well. His farewell game with the Titans saw him register 153 total rushing yards from just 19 carries and hit 21.7mph on the GPS, both signs that the 30-year-old still has juice left in the tank.
Henry is the latest running back to find a new home in 2024, following a running back carousel early this week which saw Saquon Barkley sign with the Eagles, Josh Jacobs with the Packers, Aaron Jones with the Vikings, Joe Mixon with the Texans, Austin Ekeler with the Washington Commanders, D’Andre Swift with the Chicago Bears and Tony Pollard with the Tennessee Titans.
One of the best players at his position, Ravens fans should be ecstatic heading into 2024 and what looks like a real Super Bowl window in Baltimore. The Ravens were previously stopped by the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game two months ago.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Tennessee Titans. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.