Every time a new contract raises the bar ... guys want raises.
And yes, that could have potentially created problems for the Baltimore Ravens.
Or ...
The Ravens could step up and do a deal on their star running back, which on Wednesday afternoon is exactly what just happened.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has a new contract, and his reported $20 million-per-year deal surely caused GMs around the NFL to frown.
But suddenly Henry - who shocked some last year by joining the Ravens and they producing the second-best season of his career with 1,921 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns - is re-upped.
The terms of the new deal?
ESPN reports that it's an agreement on a two-year, $30 million extension that includes $25 million fully guaranteed over the next two seasons.
When he signed last offseason? His two-year, $16 million contract seemed wise for the Ravens, but also fair. After all, he's now 31 ... and it was likely the best offer the perennial NFL rushing title contender had in hand.
This ends a mountain of silly speculation from the likes of PFT analyst Mike Florio, who stirred up a mess with his guesswork.
From Florio's recent incendiary piece: “The question becomes whether (Henry) will show up for offseason workouts without a new deal. The bigger question is whether he’ll get the new deal before offseason workouts begin later this month.”
The threat of a holdout? That was not, at the time Florio wrote it, a fact.
And it's obviously a dead issue now.
There is no indication that PFT has any insight into Henry's plans; we have seen the videos that demonstrate that "King Henry'' continues to keep himself in incredible shape with his demanding workouts.
There is also no indication that PFT has insight into the Ravens' thoughts as they weighed the short-term value of paying Henry against the long-term risk against the salary cap.
Instead, we deal in facts. Suggesting that Derrick Henry and the Ravens were on the cusp of a major contract dispute that's about to include a nasty holdout?
We said that was wrong when Florio wrote it. And Henry and the Ravens just proved it wrong today.