The Baltimore Ravens and star running back Derrick Henry have agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Tuesday.
The deal could be worth up to $20 million with incentives and includes a $9 million guarantee, Schefter reported.
Free-agent Derrick Henry is signing a two-year, $16 million deal worth up to $20 million, including $9 million fully guaranteed in the first year with the Baltimore Ravens, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/jYiY9118kR
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2024
Henry spent his entire eight-year career with the Tennessee Titans before reaching free agency this season. He put together a massively productive career, racking up 9,502 rushing yards and a franchise record 90 touchdowns. (RELATED: NFL Team Rebounds From Losing Superstar By Trading For Highly Coveted Defender)
The bruising star back was selected to four Pro Bowls and earned AP Offensive Player of the year honors in a 2020 season that saw him rush for 2,027 yards, making him just the eighth player in NFL history to eclipse 2000 yards on the ground in one season.
The six-foot, three inch, 250-pound running back led the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020.
He joins a Ravens running attack who, led by dual threat QB Lamar Jackson, already led the NFL in rushing yards in 2023 by a healthy margin, outrushing their closest opponent by over 260 yards.
Though the Ravens just lost running back Gus Edwards and his 13 touchdowns to the Los Angeles Chargers, Henry should be more than a viable replacement. The human battering ram has recorded double digit touchdowns in every year since 2018.
Henry fell off slightly in 2023, marking a career low 4.2 yards per carry in what has been a steady downward slide from his 2020 peak. But the veteran back is still extremely productive, as evidenced by his 1,167 rushing yards, which trailed only star 49ers back Christian McCaffrey.
Henry led the league in rushing attempts, a burden he likely won’t have to shoulder in Baltimore. Aside from Lamar Jackson’s rushing threat, the Ravens also have a gaggle of capable change-of-pace backs in Justice Hill, J.K. Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell.