Rashod Bateman is set to remain with the Baltimore Ravens long-term after inking a three-year, $36.75 million contract extension with the team during the 2025 NFL offseason.
However, Bateman acknowledged his return to Baltimore wasn’t always a sure thing. In fact, there was a time the 25-year-old wide receiver believed he might be traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
‘I went through a lot of things with the Cowboys and all of that with my contract,’ Bateman told The Athletic. ‘There was a time when I didn’t know what was going to happen.’
Bateman’s uncertainty stemmed from an understanding the Ravens had other key players they wanted to re-sign. Knowing that, he delivered a clear message to Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta.
‘That’s the first thing I told him: I don’t want to go anywhere else. ‘I know you’ve got a lot of stuff to work through and we’ll figure it out when we figure it out,” Bateman said of his conversation with DeCosta. ‘It took time, but it takes time with a lot of people’s contracts. He had a lot of contracts to get done, and maybe more to get done in the future.’
DeCosta worked through some of those priorities, notably signing star running back Derrick Henry to a two-year extension worth up to $30 million. Once that was completed, the Ravens shifted their focus to Bateman, who signed his three-year extension less than a month after Henry’s new deal was finalized.
Bateman praised DeCosta for prioritizing him even during an offseason where Baltimore is exploring another long-term contract with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.
‘To be a priority for him in that way is important,’ Bateman said of DeCosta. ‘He shows he values me.’
Still, Bateman is aware things could have played out differently, given he was on Dallas’ radar during an offseason in which the Cowboys traded for George Pickens.
‘(The Cowboys talks) were a thing, for sure. It was a possibility. I don’t want to deny that,’ Bateman said. ‘But you know, DeCosta, he’s always making magic work, and he made it work. And I’m thankful for that.’