Former Alabama running back Derrick Henry is signing with the Baltimore Ravens, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“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,” Schefter writes. “The King now will play in the Queen City.”
As dozens of free agents found their new homes on Monday, Henry’s name was constantly rumored to be associated with Baltimore. CBS Sports NFL insider Josina Anderson confirmed that “there’s interest on both sides” on Monday night.
Henry joins a Ravens team that finished this past regular season with not only the best record (13-4) in the AFC but the entire NFL. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson took home his second NFL MVP award for leading the team to the AFC Championship before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs, who later won the Super Bowl.
The signing stems from after the Tennessee Titans announced they weren’t going to franchise tag Henry on Feb. 26. Additionally, The Titans signed former Dallas Cowboys starting running back Tony Pollard on Monday to pair with young backup Tyjae Spears, meaning there was no longer a place for Henry in Tennessee.
Henry, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner, led the NFL with 280 rushing attempts this past season, was second in the league in rushing yards (1,167) and also ran in for 12 scores. The four-time Pro Bowler turned 30-years-old on Jan. 4.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound bruising back from Yulee, Fla. was selected by Tennessee with the 45th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, and has since put together some of the best seasons by a running back in NFL history. He holds two rushing titles and is one of eight players ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. In 2020, he was named the AP Offensive Player of the Year.
While he has shown little to no signs of slowing down yet in his career, Henry commands a bigger paycheck than many teams are willing to give a running back entering their ninth season, specifically a team like Tennessee who is entering the second year of a rebuild.
Although the Ravens were the best team of the regular season, their running back room was relatively subpar and Baltimore rarely used them in the AFC Championship. In other words, it seemed as though they were one piece away from Super Bowl glory and Henry certainly has the resumé to be that player for them.
