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The Baltimore Ravens have been quick to hand out contract extensions to their best players. Under general manager Eric DeCosta, the Ravens have often gotten ahead of the free-agent game by extending players up to a full year early. DeCosta and Baltimore got to work again this offseason, giving tight end Nick Boyle a two-year contract extension a year before he was set to hit free agency.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the two-year deal will cost the Ravens $13 million, with $10.5 million of that gully guaranteed. It’s unclear exactly what the yearly breakdown is going to be and how it’ll fully impact Baltimore’s salary cap over the next three years, but it’s not an insignificant amount of money either way.
The Ravens were already on the hook for a $7.83 million cap hit for Boyle in 2021. When added to his original three-year extension back in 2019, Baltimore is set to pay Boyle $31 million over five years, with $20.5 million fully guaranteed. Boyle’s $6.2 million average-per-year ranks 14th in the NFL at his position, according to Over The Cap.
Considering Boyle has primarily been a blocker throughout his career, that’s a pretty hefty cost with very little production on the stat sheet. But when Boyle suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 10, it became quite clear just how important the tight end is to Baltimore’s offense. Perhaps more importantly, it offers the Ravens a little long-term protection at the position.
Boyle and fellow tight end Mark Andrews were set to be free agents after the 2021 season. With tight ends being such an important part of Baltimore’s offense, the idea of having to completely start from scratch if both left was likely looming large for DeCosta. Boyle’s deal doesn’t necessarily give the Ravens any leverage over Andrews — who will undoubtedly earn a massive contract as one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the NFL — it does at least keep one in town for a little while longer.
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