Perhaps no player on the Baltimore Ravens disappointed more than wide receiver Rashod Bateman in 2025, and the Ravens signaled as much when they drafted wide receivers in consecutive rounds in the 2026 NFL draft with Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton thinks that means Bateman’s days in Baltimore are numbered, and put 2021 1st round pick on his list of players NFL teams need to trade before the start of the regular season.
“For one season (2024), Rashod Bateman showed flashes that he could play up to his first-round draft pedigree,” Moton wrote on June 2. “He hauled 45 passes for 756 yards and nine touchdowns that year. Last offseason, the Baltimore Ravens signed Bateman to a three-year, $36.8 million extension, but he fell back into an afterthought in the passing game. In 2025, Bateman caught 19 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. And once again, he was plagued by injuries, missing four games. Following a down year, Bateman isn’t going to garner much interest on the trade market, but the Ravens can try to package him with draft capital to facilitate a deal.”
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman Blasted by NFL Insider
Even before the Ravens double-dipped for wide receivers in the 2026 draft, there has been a growing call for Bateman to get gone — were it not for a pressing need on the interior offensive line, the Ravens likely would have taken a wide receiver.
“Don’t sleep on a first-round receiver such as Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) or Makai Lemon (USC), either,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote before the draft. “The WR2 behind Zay Flowers has been Rashod Bateman for years now, yet he has never risen to the call.”
The biggest hurdle in any possible trade for Bateman is his contract. The Ravens don’t have a voidable year in Bateman’s contract until 2028, and while he only counted $4.548 million against the salary cap in 2025, that number goes up to $6.298 million in 2026 and $10.9 million in 2027.
‘Change of Scenery’ Might Benefit Rashod Bateman
With a new head coach in Baltimore in former assistant Jesse Minter, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz put Bateman at the top of his list of NFL players who need a “Change of Scenery” in 2026.
“The idea that Bateman needs a change of scenery might be unexpected considering the Ravens signed him to a three-year, $36.75 million extension before the 2025 season,” Schatz wrote in February. “But he had a very disappointing campaign, with just 19 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns. A part of his problem last season was that opponents treated Bateman as the Ravens’ WR1 because Zay Flowers was in the slot being covered by a nickelback. Bateman just isn’t good enough to get away from that coverage, and he might flourish with a new team for whom he can be more of a complementary player.”
If the Ravens do keep Bateman, don’t be surprised if his name starts to come up again around the NFL trade deadline, where a team depleted by injuries at the position might be desperate enough to cut a deal for him.
To that end, a team that’s already desperate at wide receiver might be willing to make the move before the season — possibly teams with star receivers dealing with off-field issues like the Kansas City Chiefs and wide receiver Rashee Rice or the Los Angeles Rams and wide receiver Puka Nacua.
Ravens Pushed to Trade ‘Afterthought’ $36 Million WR