Ravens not yet decided on exercising fifth-year options for Rashod Bateman, Odafe Oweh

The Ravens have until May 2 to exercise the fifth-year option on Rashod Bateman and Odafe Oweh’s rookie contract.

By May 2, General Manager Eric DeCosta must make a decision on whether to exercise the fifth-year option for his two first-round picks of 2021, wide receiver Rashod Bateman and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh. During the Baltimore Ravens’ Pre-Draft Press Conference held on Tuesday, DeCosta was inquired as to whether he’s made a decision regarding their rookie contracts.

“I think we’re about a month away from that decision,” DeCosta said. “So, that’s probably when we’ll make that decision, I would think, but we’ll have more to say about that probably after the Draft.”

Ever since the introduction of the rookie wage scale in 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, all first-round draft picks have a fifth-year option teams are allowed to exercise following the player’s third season. For DeCosta, it won’t be an easy choice.

As of right now, it’s hard to argue adding another year to either players contract. Both have failed to be consistent and produce to their draft stock. Both have dealt with injury problems throughout their first three years. Neither seems to likely worth the price tag that comes with the fifth-year option, that being $14.3 million for Bateman and $13.2 million for Oweh.

But, it’s also important to remember teams need to pay players for what they will do, not have done, such as when the Jaguars paid wide receiver Christian Kirk $80 million. Both Oweh and Bateman seemed primed for breakouts in 2024. Bateman just finished his first fully healthy season and is due for a bigger role with him and wide receiver Zay Flowers as the clear-cut top two receivers. His early season in 2022 before the foot injury is hard to forget.

Oweh was always going to be a project as he got into football later in life; a prospect with massive measurables but not a ton of consistency in college. But while the numbers haven’t been there, Oweh’s flashed shown visible improvement each season. Both have received massive endorsements verbally from Harbaugh, DeCosta and others in the locker room. Nobody has been signed that would block either player from significant roles in 2024, leaving both penciled in as starters.

DeCosta must make a decision to either see the numbers and not pick up the option(s) or put their money where their mouth has been and take the risk believing in one or both of these players breaking out and make it official on or by May 2. They’ll also have to take into account the market around these positions. If both Oweh and Bateman do break out, their fifth-year option pays would be bargains for starting quality players at either position.