Getty Baltimore Ravens signed Michael Pierce to 2-year extension
The Baltimore Ravens likely still have a lot of football left to play during the 2023 NFL season, but they’ve already started making their lives easier for the 2024 offseason.
Today, the Ravens signed an extension with starting nose tackle Michael Pierce.
Whenever their season comes to an end this year, the Ravens are going to have a lot of decisions to make regarding players with expiring contracts.
The team has key pieces on both sides of the ball with expiring contracts.
A couple of those players will be due for hefty raises after earning Pro Bowl nods this season, which will make it difficult to bring some of those pieces back.
Luckily, they’ve already been able to ensure that they’ll have one of their starters for the next couple of years on a very reasonable deal.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Ravens agreed to a 2-year extension with Pierce that is worth $7.5 million.
It’s a nice reward for a player who has gotten his career back on track during the 2023 season.
Bounce Back Year For Pierce
Before playing 16 games this season, Pierce had spent a few years struggling to stay on the field.
He opted out of the 2020 season. The following year, he only played 8 games as a result of an elbow injury.
Last season, he was limited to just 3 games in his first year back with Ravens because of a torn biceps.
This year, he was able to stay healthy all season and was a solid starter for Baltimore.
As the team’s starting nose tackle, he made 26 tackles while forcing a fumble and recovering two fumbles on his was to a PFF grade of 76.8.
Pierce has anchored the Ravens defensive line throughout the 2023 season and should continue to be a valuable piece of the team going forward.
Who’s Next For The Ravens
The Ravens had four Pro Bowlers on their defense this season. Two of them will have their contracts expire at the end of the season.
Those two players, Patrick Queen and Justin Madubuike, will likely be the next two players that the Ravens focus on bringing back.
Both players are currently playing on their rookie deals, so both will be looking at substantial raises for their next contracts.
The Ravens could have actually given themselves another year before needing to extend Queen, but turned down the fifth-year option on his rookie deal. He made them regret that decision with 125 tackles this year
Meanwhile, Madubuike has stepped up in a big way this season, more than doubling his career high in sacks. His 13 sacks this year lead a Ravens defense that has the most in the league.
If the Ravens are going to continue playing at such a high level on defense, they’ll need both back.
That is also far from the end of the list of players the Ravens have hitting free agency.
Geno Stone is second in the NFL in interceptions. Jadeveon Clowney has 8.5 sacks.
Kevin Zeitler continues to play at a high level on the offensive line even at 33.
Gus Edwards ran for 13 touchdowns this year and JK Dobbins entered the year as the team’s top RB.
The Ravens took a solid step towards keeping their roster together today by extending Pierce on a reasonable deal, but they still have a lot of big decisions to make as they try to put a Super Bowl contender on the field again for next season.