Ravens Starting WR Among Trade Pieces to Watch

Initially, many thought the Baltimore Ravens were going to be okay with keeping young wide receiver Rashod Bateman despite having a tough 2025 campaign with the team.

He finished last season with just 19 receptions for 224 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games, with injuries and inconsistent play hurting him. ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler has a new report that Bateman might be involved in more of the offseason storyline than Ravens fans expected.

"Also, (A.J.) Brown isn't the only receiver potentially available. Baltimore's Rashod Bateman, Los Angeles' Quentin Johnston and Green Bay's Dontayvion Wicks have come up in my talks. Teams have interest in Green Bay's Jayden Reed, but I don't sense the Packers would trade him at this point."

Ravens could potentially trade Rashod Bateman away

Bateman has shown a lot of promise in his young NFL career, with the 2024 season a great example: he had a career-high in yards (756) and touchdowns (nine) off 45 receptions and an average of 16.8 yards per game. That year was the reason the Ravens rewarded him with a three-year, $36.7 million contract extension last summer.

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman | Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The Ravens need Bateman on the roster now that they no longer have DeAndre Hopkins, who has since become a free agent. Baltimore still has two-time Pro Bowl Zay Flowers, but he is more of a slot receiver, and Bateman is usually on the outside.

If the Ravens do want to trade Bateman, the question is what kind of compensation they could get for him. At the highest, it could be a third-round pick, but more realistically, given the contract situation and his poor play in 2025, it would be more like a Day 3 pick, likely to the Ravens.

After trading two first-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby, the Ravens might be more open to a Bateman trade. That could possibly give them another pick that could be used either in a trade or to replace Bateman in the 2026 NFL Draft. This receiver draft class is deep enough that Baltimore could find a starter in Day 3.

Baltimore could also open up the option of finding a wide receiver in free agency to replace Bateman. Mike Evans has been attached as an ideal landing spot for the Ravens, and they were in conversation for Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, but losing their 2026 first-round pick ended those dreams.

Moving Bateman off the roster in a trade would be a bit of a sting financially for the Ravens. If he is traded before June 1, Baltimore would take a $5.5 million loss against the cap, according to Spotrac.

This is a situation worth monitoring as it could go in so many different directions, but it's clear that Bateman may not be 100% safe in Baltimore anymore.

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