Ravens agree to 2-year extension with wide receiver Rashod Bateman

April 24, 2024 GMT
FILE - Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) runs with the ball after catching a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Baltimore. The Ravens gave Bateman a two-year contract extension on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, that will keep the 2021 first-round pick with the team through the 2026 season. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams, File)
FILE - Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) runs with the ball after catching a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Baltimore. The Ravens gave Bateman a two-year contract extension on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, that will keep the 2021 first-round pick with the team through the 2026 season. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams, File)

OWINGS MILLS, Md (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens gave wide receiver Rashod Bateman a two-year contract extension on Wednesday that will keep the 2021 first-round pick with the team through the 2026 season.

The team announced the extension Wednesday, ending speculation about whether the team would trade him. They had until May 2 to decide whether or not to exercise a fifth-year option.

Bateman, drafted 27th overall, instead became the first first-round wide receiver to sign a second contract with the Ravens.

“Congratulations to ‘Bate’ and his family,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “This is a good day for the Ravens.”

Bateman has 93 catches and four touchdowns in three seasons.

His first two seasons were shortened by injuries that caused him to play only 18 games. Last season, in his first full year, he finished with 32 receptions for 367 yards and one touchdown.

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