Two-Time Pro Bowl Tackle Inks Deal with the Ravens
Heading into the 2024-25 season, veteran offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley had a lot at stake, with his future in limbo regarding where he would play next, as he became a free agent this offseason. After taking a $7.5 million pay cut before last season, Stanley entered 2024 with much to prove, looking to show he is still one of the NFL’s top offensive tackles despite dealing with several injuries over recent years. Although the Ravens' season ended disappointingly against the Bills in the Divisional Round, the Pro Bowl tackle finished strong, showcasing that he still has plenty left in the tank and reestablishing himself as a top tackle in the NFL today. As a result, it was reported by ESPN’s Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter that the Ravens and Stanley have agreed to a three-year, $60 million free-agent deal, with Baltimore relying on the 30-year-old to be a mainstay at the left tackle position moving forward.
Prior to the NFL, Stanley made a name for himself as a premier offensive lineman during his collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame. In his four seasons with the Fighting Irish, Stanley was a reliable asset, allowing just one sack in his junior year in 2014, and he was named a Consensus All-American a season later in his senior year, which elevated him to the top of the draft boards for several NFL teams entering the 2016 NFL Draft. The Ravens ultimately selected him with the sixth overall pick, jumpstarting his NFL career. During his rookie contract, Stanley continued to develop into one of the league’s best linemen, protecting the blind sides of both Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson. In Jackson’s first full season in Baltimore, Stanley received major recognition, being named PFF's Pass Blocker of the Year and earning First-Team All-Pro honors.
However, since then, Stanley’s career had been derailed before last season due to multiple season-ending injuries starting in 2020, with the first occurring shortly after he signed a contract extension with Baltimore during that season. As a result, questions arose about Stanley’s reliability to stay on the field, leading to him entering a “prove-it” season in 2024 to show that his past injuries hadn’t gotten the best of him. Last season, Stanley did just that, playing in every game for the first time since his All-Pro 2019 season. The former first-round pick finished the year with a 71% overall PFF grade, ranking 39th among offensive tackles, and held the 21st-best pass-blocking grade at 79.6%. Now, with his new contract in place, Stanley heads into next season looking to build on the momentum from his resurgent campaign and maintain a clean bill of health with the Ravens.
