Subscribe
Follow Us
Once the Baltimore Ravens restructured left tackle Ronnie Stanley's contract in 2022, it showed their potential future intentions with him. Now, after his bounce-back year after eight straight seasons riddled with injuries, it's possible that Baltimore could bring him back. But, given their cap situation, the Ravens must be picky with who they re-sign. With the 2025 NFL free agency window looming, Stanley's name could be hot for teams that need a left tackle, with three main teams as potential landing spots for the Ravens' left tackle.
In the 2025 offseason, Stanley is projected to sign a two-year contract worth $41.3 million, averaging approximately $20 million per season, per Spotrac.
Looking at other tackles who make that much, Stanley would be in the company of two Super Bowl LIX tackles: left tackle Jordan Mailata ($22 million) and right tackle Lane Johnson ($20.2 million).
After being selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Stanley spent nine seasons with the Ravens and was an impressive tackle — when healthy.
The “when healthy” part is important in Stanley's resume.
From the year he got drafted — 2016 — until 2023, the Ravens' tackle missed 43 games. While that might not look like a significant amount of time, he missed nearly 30% of games he could've played in, and some of that time was after he signed a five-year contract with Baltimore for $98.8 million.
So, for a franchise that's seen him play at his best (2024) compared to his not-so-best (2016-2023), it's understandable why they could be hesitant to sign him to another massive contract.
Not only would it be a hard decision, but it's one the Ravens couldn't do without some roster construction.
Without having made any moves, the Ravens rank 23rd in cap space, per Spotrac, making a re-signing unlikely between Stanley and Baltimore.
Under the notion that Baltimore doesn't re-sign Stanley, here are the top three teams Stanley could sign with in the 2025 NFL free agency period.
Ronnie Stanley free agency landing spot No. 1: New England Patriots
In Drake Maye's rookie season with the New England Patriots, he saw positives and negatives.
Maye didn't make his first start until Week 6, leading the Pats to a 41-21 loss against the Houston Texans. During that game, Maye was sacked four times, giving him a healthy welcome to the NFL.
Though Maye didn't see Caleb Williams-esque numbers regarding sacks, he wasn't necessarily protected well throughout his 12 starts as a rookie.
In the 13 games Maye appeared in, he got sacked 34 times, averaging nearly three sacks per game.
Now, the Patriots have a lot of holes on their team, but one of those holes is the offensive line, specifically tackles.
Heading into the 2025 NFL free agency period, one of the major needs for the Patriots is to address their offensive line, especially after losing Trent Brown to free agency before the 2024 season.
Since they have the No. 4 pick in the draft, they could draft a younger guy like Will Campbell from LSU. But — similarly to free agency — the draft is a gamble. Some players don't translate to the NFL as well as others, and it's a hard prediction to nail.
However, with Stanley, he's also a gamble, given the amount of time he's missed with injuries.
So, while either decision they make could come back and be the wrong one, the Patriots could be a great landing spot for Stanley.
Ronnie Stanley free agency landing spot No. 2: Washington Commanders
Another team that's likely to be a participant in the Stanley sweepstakes is the Washington Commanders.
After a disappointing end to their playoff run with Jayden Daniels in 2024, the Commanders showed they're a dangerous team as long as they can keep their core pieces together.
In 2024, current left tackle Brandon Coleman was relatively unimpressive, posting a 64.1 overall PFF grade, ranking 59th among tackles in the NFL, per PFF.
Along with a major need at the left tackle position, the Commanders are a team that can meet his projected value.
With $82.4 million in 2025 cap space, the Commanders rank second in the NFL, per Spotrac, making them a team that's likely to spend heavily in free agency.
Washington is in an interesting position because they're a team that drafted with the No. 2 pick in 2024 but the No. 29 pick just one season later.
So, given their draft spot, picking a starting-level tackle with a pick near the end of the first round doesn't seem incredibly likely.
Instead, they could pay Stanley for two or three seasons while they draft players at other positions of need.
With the Commanders knowing they nailed the quarterback position, that's one major piece of the pie, allowing them to allocate resources elsewhere, given Daniels' inexpensive rookie contract.
Now, unlike Brock Purdy — who signed a four-year, $3.7 million contract as a rookie — Daniels' entry deal was a bit more costly to the Commanders.
As the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Daniels signed a four-year contract worth $37.7 million. While it's more than Purdy's rookie contract, it's still relatively inexpensive for a quarterback who led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game with a historic performance from a rookie.
However, with higher aspirations, the Commanders better act now while their quarterback is on his rookie deal.
Ronnie Stanley free agency landing spot No. 3: Indianapolis Colts
The last team that could be a good landing spot for Stanley is the Indianapolis Colts.
While they might not be the first team people think of, they'll certainly be active in trying to build a protective wall of capable offensive linemen for Anthony Richardson.
Indy has some pieces already — Bernhard Raimann, Quenton Nelson, and Ryan Kelly — but their need for another tackle remains unfulfilled.
In the scenario that they brought in Stanley, that would likely cause Raimann to kick to the right side, giving the former Raven his spot as the left tackle.
That idea works better in theory than between the white lines, but in keeping Richardson safe in 2025, it's an idea that's worth a shot.
Although Richardson remained relatively healthy in 2024 — especially compared to his rookie season — he was still sacked 14 times in 11 games.
However, with his development as an NFL quarterback still near the beginning phases, the Colts' lack of protection has been a major obstacle in the way.
Along with their lack of weapons offensively, Richardson hasn't had much to work with since getting drafted with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
If they can sign Stanley in free agency and draft a weapon for Richardson in the upcoming draft, the Colts could be cooking.
Whether or not he lands on one of these teams, Ronnie Stanley will be repping a new uniform in 2025.
