The Baltimore Ravens hoped that RB Derrick Henry would add the necessary element they were missing. In order to take that next step, they thought, what they needed was a reliable running back. While they got that in Derrick Henry, they didn’t get one step further than they had been previously.
The Ravens reached the conference finals with a first-round bye in 2023. This past season, they only narrowly won their own division and exited in the Divisional Round. That wasn’t exactly Derrick Henry’s fault, as he ran well throughout the playoffs. He dominated the Steelers and played strong but was underused against the Bills.
So Derrick Henry wasn’t the magic key to the Ravens’ Super Bowl, but he certainly helped. Both sides see that, and they want to keep it going. Henry, now 31, recently said that he wants to retire with the team. Likewise, the Ravens said they will look into a contract extension this offseason.
The Ravens nearly traded for Henry during that 2023 season, and in hindsight perhaps they wish they had. But they signed him months later on a two-year, $18 million contract, one he clearly outperformed. In his first season with the Ravens, Henry rushed for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns. He averaged a career-high 5.9 yards on 325 carries and was only overshadowed by Saquon Barkley’s season for the ages.
Due $9 million in 2025, Derrick Henry surely knows he outplayed his contract, as do the Ravens. But they both also know that he isn’t getting any younger. How do you approach the contract of an elite but aging running back, especially on an extension?
“We’ll look at that”, Ravens DM Eric DeCosta said. “I’m just so grateful that Derrick chose us last year. He came in and…I can honestly just say his attitude and the way that he played was amazing to watch. His relationship with his teammates, his humility as a player, his work ethic – I can’t wait to see him next year”.
The Ravens ultimately lost to the Bills in the playoffs, a series of turnovers ultimately dooming them. QB Lamar Jackson was the main culprit with a bad fumble and a poor interception, but TE Mark Andrews also had an uncharacteristically bad game. Henry did what he could but only got 16 carries, scoring once.
While Derrick Henry gave the Ravens’ offense another dimension, it didn’t make them less prone to unforced errors. Often enough, it seemed the only team that could stop the Ravens’ offense was the Ravens.
The 2024 campaign with a bit of a Renaissance season for Derrick Henry, who saw the biggest running lanes of his career while playing with the Ravens and Lamar Jackson. Baltimore also rushed for over 3,000 yards on the season with Henry accounting for the good majority of that. It’s no surprise both parties want to continue their relationship. But Father Time always wins—it’s just a matter of how long he has to wait. Can the Ravens’ system hold him at bay a while longer?
