Source: Pierce, Ravens agree to $7.5M extension

Last updated: 2024/01/07 at 2:56 AM

BigP Published January 7, 2024

Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterJan 6, 2024, 10:53 AM ET
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BALTIMORE — The Ravens have agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million extension with Michael Pierce, a source told ESPN’s Field Yates on Saturday, which keeps the starting nose tackle from becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

“I didn’t expect it, but I’m super, super grateful that they want me back and I’m just happy to be here,” Pierce said after Saturday’s loss to the Steelers. “It’s home to me. So for me to be able to wrap my career up here, it’s a dream come true.”

Pierce, 31, has started all 17 games for a Ravens defense that has allowed the fewest points (16.4) and the fourth-fewest yards (302.1) in the NFL this season. He had signed a three-year, $16.5 million deal with Baltimore in 2022 but restructured his deal in March, putting him in line to be a free agent in 2024.

In his seventh NFL season, Pierce entered Saturday’s game ranking third on the Ravens in run stop win rate (36.9%) and second among Baltimore defensive linemen with 19 pass-rush wins. The biggest improvement for Pierce has been his durability. He played in double-digit games for the first time since 2019, and his 655 snaps this season are a career high.

“I just walk out there with a different level of gratefulness,” Pierce said. “You don’t take any snap for granted when you had two years with injuries.”

The Ravens’ biggest priority on the defensive line is keeping defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, who leads NFL interior linemen with 13 sacks. He is an unrestricted free agent after the season.