OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Lamar Jackson will have his top big-play wide receiver for the foreseeable future, as the Baltimore Ravens announced Thursday that they had signed Rashod Bateman to an extension.
Bateman's deal is for three years, $36.75 million and includes $20 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
This contract comes a year after Bateman signed a team-friendly two-year extension worth $12.8 million because he didn't qualify for a fifth-year option after starting 2023 training camp on the "did not report" list. Now, after becoming Baltimore's most explosive wide receiver, he is under contract through the 2029 season.
Bateman sees this contract extension as validation.
"I just know I can play ball and it's like everybody knows that now and I'm not here to prove that to nobody," Bateman said. "I work for the Ravens. I work for Lamar Jackson technically. If these guys are pleased with what I'm doing and my work ethic and all of that, then I feel like as a team that's important to me. So I've done that and I'm definitely looking to continue to build off of that for sure."
Before Bateman and Zay Flowers arrived, the Ravens had long been criticized for their drafting of wide receivers. Since the Ravens' first draft in 1996 to 2023, Baltimore had been the only NFL team not to draft a Pro Bowl wide receiver. Flowers has since become the team's first Pro Bowl wide receiver.
Bateman is hoping this new deal continues to change the narrative of Ravens wide receivers. When Bateman signed his extension last season, he became the first Ravens' first-round wide receiver to sign a second contract with Baltimore. A year later, he becomes the first Ravens' first-round wide receiver to sign a third contract with Baltimore.
"I just think, for me, it hits different when it's a receiver here," Bateman said. "We all know the perspective here and we've been through a lot. We go through a lot. We continue to go through a lot when it comes to facing backlash here and there or wherever it may be. But it definitely, I'll just say it means a lot to be able to start something new here, something fresh when it comes to the receiving room."
Bateman, 25, has gone from being an underachieving 2021 first-round pick to the best deep threat for the NFL's No. 1 offense in 2024. He was the only player in the NFL last season to average over 16 yards per reception and catch at least nine touchdown passes.
His 16.8 yards per catch ranked third in the NFL last season, behind only Indianapolis' Alec Pierce (22.3) and Detroit's Jameson Williams (17.3). Bateman's three touchdown catches of at least 40 yards in 2024 were tied for the most in a season by a Ravens player since at least 2000.
The 27th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Bateman had a challenging start to his career. He missed the first five games of his rookie season after undergoing hernia surgery and was sidelined for the final nine games of his second season after foot surgery.
In March 2023, Bateman called out Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta on social media for the GM's comment about the team's disappointing track record for drafting pass catchers. Bateman later said he spoke to DeCosta and "now we're best friends."
A year later, Bateman enjoyed a breakthrough season. As the No. 2 wide receiver behind Flowers, Bateman recorded career highs with 756 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches, leading to Thursday's extension.
"It's kind of how this league words: You get paid if you're doing the right things on and off the field, and it's a respect thing," Bateman said. "It's showing that the organization believes in me. It's showing that I believe in them. So hopefully this thing keep on trucking in that direction."