The Baltimore Ravens have ensured the blindside protection of superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson for years to come, inking All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley to a lucrative, multi-year extension. Per an announcement from the team Friday, the 26-year-old has extended his deal through the 2025 NFL season.
“Ronnie is the mainstay on our offensive line. He’s a shutdown left tackle who excels on the field and in our community,” said Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta.
“This is just the beginning for Ronnie, and we could not be happier for him and his family.”
Although financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed by the club, the official release did recognize reporting from ESPN ‘s Adam Schefter and Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated that indicated the revised pact is slated to pay the offensive lineman $98.75 million in new money, $68.57 million of which is guaranteed. The per-year average on that level of extension would make Stanley the second-highest paid LT in the league, trailing only the Houston Texans’ Laremy Tunsil.
Earlier this year, Pro Football Focus named Stanley its Pass Blocker of the Year for the 2019 season. The outlet noted the Notre Dame product had finished the campaign having surrendered just six total QB pressures across the 16-game campaign. PFF compared his performance to that of Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Cam Robinson, who only played in 14 games in 2019 and surrendered six or more pressures in a single game on four separate occasions.
Stanley’s protection in the passing game was a key component in enabling Jackson to ascend to the top tier of quarterbacks in the NFL, as the second-year signal-caller threw for 3,127 yards, 36 touchdown passes, and only six interceptions en route to capturing MVP honors, as tracked by Pro Football Reference . He was also one of the least-sacked starting QBs in the league.
Additionally, Stanley made key contributions to the Ravens’ record-breaking running attack as blocker last year. In 2019, the team logged 3,296 rushing yards, which was the most by any team in league history during a season.
For his efforts, he became a first-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler.
He has continued to perform at an elite level through seven weeks of play in 2020, logging a pass block win rate of 96.8 percent, the highest among qualified offensive tackles. Meanwhile, his 78.3 percent block win rate on running plays ranks ninth among his position group.
Stanley was selected by Baltimore with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft after earning All-American honors with the Fighting Irish in 2015.
The Ravens have made multiple personnel moves of late. As shared recently by The Inquisitr , former All-Pro wideout Dez Bryant is working his way back into football after signing a contract to join the club’s practice squad last week.