The Baltimore Ravens have many talented players on their offensive line. Many think of tackle Ronnie Stanley, center Bradley Bozeman or guard Kevin Zeitler, but one lineman has been a very underrated piece of what the team does on offense throughout his whole career in Patrick Mekari.
On Thursday, Baltimore announced that they had signed Mekari to a three-year contract extension. Ian Rapaport of NFL Network reported the details of the contract, saying the deal is work just over $15 million. By shelling out some money, they were able to retain one of their more versatile players.
We have signed OL @PMekari to a three-year contract extension running through the 2024 season.
đź“°: https://t.co/mxqe834AQo pic.twitter.com/FWMtx2DjiG— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 30, 2021
This is a good move for the Ravens’ offensive line and the stability of it going forward. Since Mekari has been in Baltimore, he’s shown that he can play and succeed at any of the positions on the line.
The 24-year-old Mekari has stepped in to play center and right tackle due to other injuries and has excelled. Â If the Ravens and Mekari didn’t come to an agreement on a deal, he would’ve become a restricted free agent this offseason.
By signing Mekari to this contract extension, it will let the team spend more time focusing on re-signing some of their other players this off season. Hopefully, Stanley will come back healthy next season and Bozeman can continue to be a solid center. However, even with Mekari in Baltimore long-term, general manager Eric DeCosta could still focus on selecting a few offensive lineman in the 2022 draft to continue building protection around quarterback Lamar Jackson.