OTL: Odafe Oweh Says “Peace Out?”

Happy Monday Baltimore! Let’s begin with what could have been: It feels like the Ravens have always been rumored as a landing spot for Deebo Samuel, but that idea can be put to bed. The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to a deal to send Samuel to wear a different shade of red on Sundays.

The first 2025 off-season NFL trade: San Francisco has agreed to send standout wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a fifth-round pick, sources tell ESPN.

Like any trade agreed to now, it cannot be processed until the new league year begins…

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 1, 2025

Should the Ravens have gotten themselves in the mix for the oft-injured WR? The fifth round price tag wouldn’t be that hard to beat, and Samuel does offer some star power to the wide receiver position. That said, Samuel may not have been the right move for the Ravens. He’s battled through several injuries and is four seasons removed from his best season of 1,405 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The Ravens should keep investing in the wide receiver position, but Samuel wouldn’t have been the right move. Unless the Ravens can get a game-changing talent they should look to complement Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman, who already have great chemistry with Lamar Jackson.

Ravens OLB Odafe Oweh’s first tweet in almost 3 years pic.twitter.com/Q9BfjxwVMj

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) March 1, 2025

Kevin Oestreicher from the Locked On Ravens Podcast points out that Odafe Oweh has given us his first tweet in the last three years. It’s a single peace sign emoji. They say all you need is love, but a little peace would be nice too, I guess. The peace sign could be interpreted as a way of signaling a goodbye from the Baltimore Ravens. Anthony Liccardi of Athlon Sports doesn’t think it’s that simple though. He scribes: 

It isn’t immediately clear what Oweh is referring to, but that hasn’t stopped speculation about his time in Baltimore. However, it almost certainly isn’t about a pending release. Doing so wouldn’t be viable given the cap situation, costing the Ravens $13.25 million in dead money without any savings (regardless of a June 1 designation) due to the fifth-year option.

Oweh’s performance doesn’t make that any more likely. He posted 10 sacks and a forced fumble in 2024, the best year of his career. Perhaps his comments are referring to a problematic contract extension and the potential trade spawning off of it. Oweh will likely expect to be paid among the several rising stars along the edge.

If the Ravens don’t plan on moving on from Oweh and his fifth year option, struggles with a potential contract extension could make some sense. Thinking about this from a macro perspective, there are a lot of factors that have nothing to do with the former first-round pick out of Penn State’s play. The Ravens have to come up with contract extensions for Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum, two players near the top of their respective position groups in the NFL. It is imaginable that Oweh isn’t at the top of the pecking order, not because he isn’t a valuable player, but because there are players an echelon higher than him in line for big deals.

Over at the Baltimore Sun, Brian Wacker wrote an article explaining the five things we learned at the scouting combine. His perspective on the Ronnie Stanley situation is very helpful to give you a mental framing of the free agent’s decision process: 

On the surface, it would seem Stanley might have both feet out the door as unaffordable. The big question, however, is whether he would jump at, say, $19 million from a lousy team like the New England Patriots, who have well over $100 million in cap room and need protection for quarterback Drake Maye, or would he be content with, say, $16 million or $17 million a year from a perennial contender in the Ravens, the only NFL team he’s ever known? Baltimore is projected to have just over $12 million in salary cap space.

The talks between the two sides were “productive,” according to a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations, and there is hope on both sides a deal can be reached, so stay tuned this week or early next.

I think this is the clearest I have seen somebody explain Stanley’s possible range of contracts. I do think the Ravens have some pull with Stanley. They drafted him early in the 2016 NFL Draft, they stuck with him through some really devastating injuries, and playing with Jackson is hard to walk away from. I do believe that the perfect scenario for both sides is Stanley staying with the Ravens, but you can only ask Stanley to leave so much money on the table.

Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic predicts that Stanley will find a way to stay in Baltimore. This is Zrebiec’s take: 

Predictions of how much Stanley will get if he hits the open market were all over the map in Indianapolis. Some pointed to his age and injury history and suggested it will be buyer beware, and that the Ravens won’t have to get too far out of their comfort zone to keep their top free agent. Others cited Stanley’s status as the top left tackle in an underwhelming free-agent class — which got thinner with the Los Angeles Rams re-signing Alaric Jackson — as proof that the longtime Raven will do well on the open market.

Both DeCosta and Harbaugh sounded confident at the NFL combine that they’ll retain Stanley, but no deal was imminent as of last week. The clock is ticking.”

This is interesting. I’ve remained very skeptical that Stanley will stay despite thinking he’s a classic example of what it means to “Play Like a Raven.” Zrebiec is about as plugged in as anyone when it comes to the Ravens so this prediction comes with a good bit of warranted respect. If NFL teams are desperate for quarterback protection, they may just give Stanley whatever it takes. If the injury history is a sticking point in contract negotiations – and nobody wants to overpay for a 30-year-old tackle – this is a good thing for the Ravens. Nobody is more familiar with Stanley’s medical history than the Ravens. Nobody has more information on Stanley than the Ravens. This could help them retain his services. I’ve obviously bought into the idea that both the Ravens and Stanley want to agree on a deal but I’m skeptical that there won’t be a team that gives him an offer he can’t refuse. This is a very interesting prediction and the main takeaway I see here is that a return for number 79 is possible.

RSR’s Nikhil Mehta penned a piece this morning outlining a deal he thinks could satisfy both parties.

Will Ronnie Stanley Re-Sign in Baltimore?

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah mocked Texas A&M pass rusher Shemar Stewart to the Ravens in the first round.

His combine numbers:
– 4.59 sec 40-yard dash
– 10’11” broad jump
– 40” vertical

Numbers like these could push Stewart out of Baltimore’s reach on draft night. pic.twitter.com/WLQrBRT8ko

— Ravens Nation ð™‡ð™„ð™‘𙀠(@LIVERavenNation) March 2, 2025

One of the Ravens’ potential draft picks put up some numbers during the combine. Shemar Stewart. Noted. Bring on late April, now please.

Just In: #Browns’ RB Nick Chubb plans to test Free Agency.

Which team needs him?? pic.twitter.com/CT2iMfm87J

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 25, 2025

Should the Ravens be interested in signing Nick Chubb? He was, at one point, one of the best running backs in the NFL. The Ravens are very familiar with him seeing as he was with the Cleveland Browns. If Chubb can become the kind of player he was a few seasons ago before a nasty injury, the Ravens could get him at a steal of a price. It’s just an idea. If Chubb can have a resurgence, pairing him up with Derrick Henry could be a cheat code.

I’m still living off that Derrick Henry stiff arm where he literally took a guys soul. #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/WVujLGTbOy

— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) March 3, 2025

Speaking of King Henry, we will leave you with a highlight of him opposing his will against the Steelers… because that’s how everything should end.

The post OTL: Odafe Oweh Says “Peace Out?” appeared first on Russell Street Report.