The Baltimore Ravens, unsurprisingly, were expected to re-sign their start left tackle Ronnie Stanley before we ever got to March 12 NFL free agency, when the vultures might have started circling with bids.
Indeed, the Ravens front office mentioned at last week's NFL Scouting Combine that they felt confident a deal would get done with their star tackle.
The sense out of Indy is that the Ravens were going to get this thing done for maybe $20 million per year.
And now here we are on Saturday with an agreement on a three-year pact reportedly worth $60 million.
Stanley registers as a huge keep for the Ravens, who need to keep their line intact to protect Lamar Jackson and open holes for Derrick Henry in the upcoming seasons.
Other teams will be willing to throw a lot of money at Stanley. ESPN's Mike Reiss reported the Patriots - who have the most cap space available of any team - were interested.
"At the NFL scouting combine, one rival NFL executive said some of the buzz going around was that the Patriots would aggressively pursue veteran Baltimore Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley should he make it to unrestricted free agency," Reiss wrote.
The Kansas City Chiefs also had Stanley, age 30, on their wish list. ... and Stanley jumping to a rival who is like Baltimore a Super Bowl contender coming out of the AFC would've been a double whammy of hurt.
But the Ravens have blocked all comers ... and now Stanley is back to block for Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.
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This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 6:11 PM.