The Baltimore Ravens didn’t lift a finger to keep running back Keaton Mitchell in the fold this offseason. It’s a move they might come to regret.
Mitchell left for a relatively paltry 2-year, $9.25 million contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, where ESPN’s Bill Barnwell called him the NFL’s top backup option at running back behind former 1st-round pick Omarion Hampton.
Why the Ravens wouldn’t want that type of talent holding down the fort behind All-Pro running back Derrick Henry is still a bit of a mystery.
“Mitchell might try too hard to break everything to the outside, and he has a significant injury history, but he has now averaged more than 6 yards per carry across 121 professional rush attempts,” Barnwell wrote. “He’s going to be a home run-hitting option in the (Chargers) running back rotation.”
Ravens Blindsided Keaton Mitchell With Decision
Mitchell’s story of winding up with the Chargers in free agency in March after playing his 1st 3 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens shows millionaire athletes aren’t much different than us in some ways.
Mitchell was back in his home state of Georgia, waiting for a call informing him that the Ravens were offering a free-agent tender that would pay him $3.25 million in 2026.
That offer never came.
“Shocked, actually,” Mitchell said on Wednesday when asked if he was surprised the Ravens never made an offer. ” … I called my agent and was like ‘What’s the word?’ and he said there was nothing yet. I’m thinking (the Ravens) are going to tender me, so I need to be in Baltimore to extend my lease, so I go up there, and it snowed right away. Which meant I had to shovel my car out of the snow for the 1st time. So I was gonna buy a truck because I’m not (shoveling snow) ever again. For some reason, I didn’t extend my lease and just thought I would stay in Baltimore, work out, be patient … then it’s like an hour before the deadline, and I start to realize I might be a free agent then right at the deadline, my agent called and said, ‘They didn’t tender you; you’re gonna be a free agent.’ So I was like, dang …”
According to Mitchell, he got a call from the Chargers “20 seconds later” and signed that 2-year, $9.25 million contract on March 12.
Keaton Mitchell Seemed Like No-Brainer for Ravens
It’s a shock the Ravens invested as much time as they did in Mitchell only to let him walk out the door in free agency at the 1st opportunity.
Mitchell had 995 all-purpose yards in 2025 for the Ravens and has 1,698 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns over his 1st 3 seasons after going undrafted out of East Carolina in 2023. He’s been a perfect change-of-pace back behind NFL All-Pro Derrick Henry, while also serving as an elite return specialist.
The Chargers made a point of giving Mitchell a considerable raise — and paying him well above his projected market value.
“Mitchell had a projected market value of about $1.52M per year — and Los Angeles pays well above that to bring him in,” Darts 2 Leek wrote on their official X account.
Much of the positive feedback about Mitchell signing with the Chargers centered around how he might be used in new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s offense.
“Keaton Mitchell leaves the Ravens and becomes a player for the Los Angeles Chargers,” Ravens reporter Corvao wrote on X. “A player with a lot of potential, but who was underutilized on the Ravens. In (Mike) McDaniel’s hands, he’s going to be a handful.”
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