Only one Baltimore Raven, kicker Justin Tucker, has been with the team longer than left tackle Ronnie Stanley. Yet, for the early part of this offseason, Stanley’s future in Baltimore felt tenuous.
The Ravens were tight against the salary cap, and Stanley, who has dealt with myriad injuries since 2020 and was coming off a 2023 season that he acknowledged fell well short of his playing standard, was carrying a $26.2 million cap number.
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A first-round pick by the Ravens in 2016, Stanley considered his options and wasn’t ready to walk away from the only NFL team he’s ever played for. He wanted a better ending.
Hours before free agency began in mid-March, Stanley and the Ravens agreed to a revised contract that reduced his base salary from $11 million to $3 million, cut his salary-cap number by $9.6 million and added numerous bonuses and incentives for him to potentially make some of that money back. The new deal also turned the final year of his contract in 2025 into a void year, meaning the 30-year-old could become an unrestricted free agent for the first time after the 2024 season.
The Athletic spoke with Stanley earlier this month after one of the Ravens’ mandatory minicamp practices. He talked about the importance of eventually leaving Baltimore on his terms, his interest in playing in the NFL beyond 2024 and the reason he’s felt rejuvenated this summer. Stanley, who is active in the NFL Players Association, also discussed potential changes with the offseason and regular-season schedules.
Questions and answers have been edited for clarity.
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Watching you on the field for organized team activities and minicamp, it seems like this is the most fun you’ve ever had being out there for practice. Is that a good read on it?
I would just say I’ve been feeling more like myself than I have in previous years. For the most part, just to be able to feel like myself physically has made me a lot happier. I guess being in that state when I was younger, it wasn’t as savory as a moment or savory as a time, just knowing that, “OK, your career could have been over after one play,” and not knowing if I was ever going to feel like that again physically or athletically. To truly feel like that and be out there and just notice myself getting better every day and feeling more like my old self every day, it definitely makes me happy.
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Does that feeling carry over for you off the field, too?
Yeah, I mean, I probably shouldn’t let that linger into how I feel off the field, but the way I perform definitely always sticks with me on and off the field. To be able to perform at the standard I know I can perform at, it just makes me feel more at ease and confident in what I’m doing and that I’m going in the right direction.
Many of the Ravens’ most accomplished veterans haven’t always been fixtures at voluntary OTAs over the years. Why was it important for you to be there?
I was just really feeling like I wanted to get some football work in and it’s hard to do that on my own. As much as I love my offseason program and the things that I do, and I know how much better it makes me, you really can’t mimic doing football drills with other football players. I don’t have other pro guys, offensive linemen, who I could just call and say, “Hey, let’s go and do some drills,” or something like that. To also be around your teammates, to be working out and doing things together, it builds a lot of chemistry in those times. With this being essentially a whole new starting offensive line, I wanted to come back and help those guys, whoever was in there. Just be a good presence for them and not leave it all to Tyler (Linderbaum) to try and help four new guys on the line of scrimmage.
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Was there a moment this offseason where you started to feel like pre-2000 ankle injury Ronnie Stanley, or was it more of a gradual process?
It’s more of a gradual thing. I think in the offseason, I definitely felt that, where it was like, “Oh, yeah, I feel really good athletically. I feel like I’m doing these drills on the field really well. I feel like I’m making sharp cuts, being able to get low and be flexible.” But it’s all different when you have to translate it to football. Not until I came back here, really through OTAs and just getting back into football stuff, is really when I started to feel more confident about all of that training and that rolling over to actual production.
When was the last time on the field when you didn’t feel limited by an injury?
I don’t have it all figured out, but I’m to the point where I feel confident in knowing where I need to fix things and making little tweaks versus trying to figure out the big picture. I feel like it’s getting smaller and smaller every day. It’s easier to figure out. I haven’t felt that way, where I’m consistently knowing that I’m experiencing that growth, since 2020.
How hard has it been to have to deal with the scrutiny from the media and fans about missing so many games?
It’s been very tough, especially since — and I don’t expect this from anybody — but nobody really knows the full story of everything. For people to just kind of base their thoughts off assumptions or whatever the case might be, it’s definitely been hard. I just remind myself that people only know as much as they’re told.
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How much has your love of football been tested through the ups and downs of your career?
I don’t know if my love for the game was tested. I always had this urge to get back. I’ve always had that feeling of purpose, why I’m doing all of this work, the rehab, whatever it might be. But I feel like the more and more I play, the more I’ve been around it, the more you grow to appreciate the game itself for what it is. Disregarding everything, coaches, fans, the money, the media, everything. You take it to its roots of just football for what it is. It’s a game that you play in the backyard. You play the same exact game with 22 people in your neighborhood. It’s a beautiful game. There’s a lot of drama that happens within that and a lot of individual battles. There’s a lot to be appreciative of.
You’ve said that you didn’t play up to your standard last season. How tough was that to accept?
I didn’t feel that sense of growth where I knew I was taking steps forward every day or I could pinpoint something and focus on that and know this is the problem, this is where the issue lies. It was a guessing game almost. I couldn’t really hone in on what I really wanted it to feel like, and that was frustrating.
You missed four games last season, but you never felt like yourself the entire year?
Definitely not, especially coming off that knee injury from Week 1. I was pushing myself to play earlier than what the injury was healing at. I just felt bad for missing so much time in general. I didn’t want to miss any more time. It wasn’t something that was necessarily smart, but I felt like it was something I wanted to push through. It definitely caused more challenges.
As a former Pro Bowl player and a longtime bookend guy, was it tough when the coaching staff asked you to rotate series in the second half of the year?
It was a little awkward, for sure. Definitely awkward.
There was a lot made about the pay alteration that you took this offseason. Why were you open to that?
I just wouldn’t have personally felt good about leaving Baltimore on that note. I want to play here my whole career, but even if I’m saying I’ll play one more year for a lot less, it’s because, if this is my last year, I want to go out on a high note. I want to play at the level that I know I can play at. The time that I missed, it would be something that I would have regretted. It would be something that I would think about when I’m older.
Do you look at this season like it could be critical in determining your future? It doesn’t sound like you are looking at this like it potentially could be your last season.
No, 100 percent, I want to keep playing. There’s no doubt in my mind. For personal reasons, I view it as a (key) year. I want to personally refuse to have a year like last year. But there could be three more years on my deal and I’d still feel the same. It’s not because it’s the last year on my deal. It’s more because as a competitor, I don’t like not playing to my capability.
How long did it take you to get over the AFC Championship Game loss to Kansas City?
A while. A while. Yeah.
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How do you feel like the team has responded to that defeat?
Everyone always responds great. I feel like our guys are always working hard, always doing the right things.
How much has your relationship with head coach John Harbaugh grown over the years?
It’s grown for sure. We’re going on my ninth year here, but he’s a consistent guy. He’s who he is. He’s true to himself, and I respect that.
What do you make of all of this talk about an 18-game schedule, canceling OTAs?
I’m not really a huge fan of it, but it’s about what the players like. I don’t like the fact of everything stacking together at the end. It’s not really canceling the OTAs. They’re still going to be there. They’re just going to go right into camp, so you won’t get a break. That’s tough.
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Would 18 games be an issue for you?
I’m not for it. I’m definitely not for it.
How close do you think this team is to taking the final step to the Super Bowl?
I think we’re really close. I just think it’s little things. Just details here and there that are holding us back, but I also see us honing in on those details every day. We do a lot of things really well.
(Top photo: Terrance Williams / Associated Press)
