Ravens WR Rashod Bateman: 'There’s a lot of unfinished business here'

OWINGS MILLS, Md.

Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman is fine discussing it now.

Hes just a few weeks removed from signing a three-year, $36.75 million contract extension , so his future in Baltimore suddenly feels secure.

Yet, Bateman acknowledged after the teams final minicamp practice that there was a period this offseason when he wondered if he had played his last game as a Raven.

Advertisement Bateman, a 2021 first-round pick, wanted a new contract with the Ravens.

General manager Eric DeCosta, meanwhile, was keeping his options open and those options included trading the 25-year-old receiver who was coming off his best season.

The Dallas Cowboys emerged as a very interested suitor.

Bateman was apprised of the trade talks, and he maintains that there was some traction between the two sides.

I went through a lot of things with the Cowboys and all of that with my contract, Bateman said.

There was a time when I didnt know what was going to happen.

(The Cowboys talks) were a thing, for sure.

It was a possibility.

I dont want to deny that.

But you know, DeCosta, hes always making magic work, and he made it work.

And Im thankful for that.

Bateman wanted a contract more commensurate with his performance in 2024, when he caught 45 passes for a career-high 756 yards and nine touchdowns, played all 17 regular-season games for the first time in his career and added two more touchdowns in the playoffs.

If the Ravens werent willing to give him one, he was ready to embrace the idea of a trade.

But he also wanted to make sure DeCosta knew he wanted to stay.

Thats the first thing I told him: I dont want to go anywhere else.

I know youve got a lot of stuff to work through and well figure it out when we figure it out, Bateman recalled of their conversation.

It took time, but it takes time with a lot of peoples contracts.

He had a lot of contracts to get done, and maybe more to get done in the future.

To be a priority for him in that way is important.

He shows he values me.

For the first time in his young career, Bateman will enter an NFL season void of drama surrounding his situation.

He isnt rehabbing an injury.

There isnt skepticism about his offensive role, his ability to stay healthy or his chemistry with quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Hes under contract through 2029.

Advertisement The Athletic spoke with Bateman to get his thoughts on his contract extension, his quarterback and the Ravens chances of getting over the playoff hump.

Questions and answers were edited for clarity.

What did it feel like to get a third contract from this team, particularly at the position you play? Its an honor, honestly, and its a blessing.

Im blessed to be here with this team.

I truly didnt want to go anywhere else, and it shows that the team believes in me and we have the same love and respect for one another.

I just feel like theres a lot of unfinished business here.

I want to keep making my mark here and keep investing in this team like theyve invested in me.

Was there a point in your career where you felt there was no way that youd be entering your fifth year in Baltimore? Its crazy that Im in year five already, with everything that has gone on.

You never know whats going to happen, whether you are going to make it through your rookie deal or when your time is up.

But theres a lot of comfort that comes with being here, and Im thankful for that as well.

How long did it take you to transition from the disappointment of how the season ended for the team to being proud of what you accomplished individually and how you stayed healthy throughout? I dont know if any of us are over it.

I know that last game was in January, so its only been a couple of months.

We definitely have had time to digest what happened or how it went down, but we still have a sour taste in our mouths.

Its kind of crazy that we open up the season with (the Buffalo Bills).

Hopefully, we can go up there and get our licks back.

What do you think has to happen for this team to get over the hump and take the final step to a Super Bowl? As cliche as it sounds, coaches always tell us from a young age that its all about the little things.

I think weve proven that we can play with anybody.

We have some of the best players.

I just think in the important times, in those clutch moments, all of us have to lock in and do everything right.

Advertisement There were a lot of missing variables for us as a team.

For us, (as) an offense, we didnt (perform) to the best of our abilities, and it cost us at an important time.

We know that.

We know that we have to be better in certain areas, and thats been our focus.

The coaches are demanding perfection out of us, and were demanding perfection out of each other.

I think were heading in the right direction with that.

Youve talked quite a few times about struggling mentally with the injuries and everything else early in your career.

How much did not having to deal with all of the negativity contribute to what you were able to accomplish last year? It helped me get through last year.

There were nicks and things that I was able to play through.

Being able to go through what I went through, I guess my pain tolerance is pretty high right now.

I just think its trained me to be prepared for those moments and never look back.

Now, any time I get the chance to work out or train or step on the practice field, not that I didnt, but Im making sure that Im giving it my all every single rep and every opportunity I get.

I just want to continue to make plays.

With so many questions about your health, your future in Baltimore and your role now behind you, how does that set you up for this season? I guess Ive been on both sides of it now, the good side and the rough side.

It definitely feels good to go into the season with the city behind you and the support and the team knowing what you can do.

Were in a good place, and the fans are coming back around.

Its been good to see everything kind of come around and do a 360.

Im sure there was some frustration on your side with some of the criticism you were getting and what fans were saying about you early in your career.

What does it feel like to now have the fans on your side, and is it tough not to be spiteful and say, No, no, no, dont jump on the bandwagon now? Its tough not to say that with your own community, but when it comes to the fans, it was different.

It was death threats and ...

Really, death threats? Yeah, to my mom.

It was a crazy time, but I understand that a lot of that comes from wanting your team to play well.

It definitely was a rough time.

Ive never experienced nothing like that, and my family never experienced nothing like that.

Theres definitely mixed emotions about it, but Im definitely glad to be on the other side of it now.

People may not understand the pressure that comes with being an early-round receiver for an organization that has struggled to develop wideouts.

How would you explain what its like to be a young receiver in Baltimore, and how have you dealt with that? Theres a lot of things that you cant control and a lot of things that are out of your hands.

You have to come to work with the mindset of getting better individually.

You get better individually, youre going to automatically help the team.

You just have to be able to have that mindset of being clear-minded and focused and being able to stay true to yourself.

Advertisement Theres a lot of different things that go on outside the game of football that (leaks) into the game of football.

Being able to navigate those things and having somebody in your corner.

We definitely have the teammates to help out with that.

All of us are pretty close.

Its kind of crazy.

It feels like a college team.

Everybody here can pick up the phone, communicate well with one another.

Its definitely a good team to be a part of.

Whats the one criticism of Lamar Jackson that youre flabbergasted by? Honestly, whatever they say about Lamar is kind of mind-boggling to us in general.

If you watched the dudes highlight tape in college, he threw the ball really, really well.

You watch in the NFL, and hes throwing the ball better than most quarterbacks since hes been playing.

I think they are definitely caught up in him not getting to the Super Bowl, but honestly, thats hard to even say.

Theres 11 people playing, and its hard to put it all on the quarterback, even though thats the leader of the team.

If you really watch football, Lamar does a lot.

He gives people jobs, and he saves peoples jobs.

Lamar is a special, special generational talent.

How much has your chemistry grown with Jackson over the years, and do you feel like theres another level it can get to? I feel like our chemistry has always been good.

Even when I got hurt, after my rookie year, I went and worked out with him that offseason.

Even before we got to where were at now, we still had a connection.

It really was my injuries and then his injuries.

I think this past year, it was really my first training camp that I was able to get through.

When youre playing with a quarterback like Lamar, you can go through routes ...

but you really have to get game-like situations and practice with him.

I think thats really when its beneficial.

That paid off for us in the long run.

How will you spend the next few weeks before training camp? Im going straight back to training, honestly.

I dont have any trips or vacations planned.

Ill be getting ready for the season, and Im eager to come back better than when I came.

Im honestly not interested in getting on a plane and traveling far right now.

Im just going to lock in and enjoy Arizona and where I train at and come back in the building ready to go.

Is this the most talented team the Ravens have had in your time here? This is the best team that Ive ever been on in the NFL, all around and especially now with Jaire (Alexander).

We always have the pieces.

Its on us now to go out, compete and just do it.

(Photo: Tommy Gilligan / Imagn Images).

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