Play like a Raven. King Henry will stay on his throne. Running back Derrick Henry had a MVP-level 2024 season, and the Baltimore Ravens are rewarding him handsomely for it.
The team agreed with the veteran on a two-year, $30 million contract extension, super-agent Todd France told ESPN’s senior NFL insider, Adam Schefter, on Wednesday.
It is the largest deal in NFL history for a running back over the age of 30. Henry is 31.
Henry inked a two-year, $16 million contract with the Ravens prior to the 2024 season. At the time, that was tied for 11th in average annual value among running backs.
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Henry undoubtedly outperformed that deal by rushing for 1,921 yards and an NFL-leading 16 touchdowns on the ground last season, his first with Baltimore after signing with the Ravens in free agency. Henry spent the first eight years of his career with the Tennessee Titans. He was the perfect complement for the Ravens dynamic rushing attack, alongside quarterback Lamar Jackson, to give the Ravens a truly formidable one-two punch.
It always seemed likely that the Ravens would take care of Henry after his fantastic debut campaign in Baltimore.
“I think he proved he had a lot left in the tank. We’ll look at that, it’s a good question,” general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters back in January when asked if the team was considering working out an extension that could potentially lower Henry’s 2025 cap hit, previously $12.8 million. “I’m just so grateful Derrick chose us last year.”
Henry wants to make Baltimore his forever football home, does not want to put roots on the ground anywhere else.
“I want to retire a Raven,” he told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini in early February at the NFL Honors.
The feeling appears to be mutual.
