|
OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens have signed cornerback Tavon Young to a three-year extension, it was announced Friday. The deal, which runs through the 2022 season, is for $25.8 million and has a max value of $29 million, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday. It will make Young the NFL's highest-paid nickelback. On Friday, Young recounted his journey from being a two-star high school recruit and how he measured as the shortest defensive back at the NFL combine in 2016. "I called my mom and she couldn't believe it," said Young, 24, who was entering the final year of his rookie deal. "She was like, 'Are you lying? Are you for real?' I'm just so happy that I can take care of [my mother and father] now." The extension comes just a few weeks after new Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said it would be a priority to retain the team's young talent before players reach free agency. Team officials targeted Young as a player to secure long-term at last month's personnel meetings, and negotiations took about two weeks to complete. "This is a big contract," coach John Harbaugh said. "This is a record-setting number. It's not something you enter into lightly at all. But the math works because of who the player is." Young showed toughness in being a key member of the NFL's fifth-ranked pass defense last season. Despite battling a sports hernia for nearly half the season, Young recorded 36 tackles, two sacks, an interception and five pass breakups. He didn't play in Baltimore's playoff loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and underwent surgery after the season. A fourth-round pick in 2016, Young stepped up as a playmaker last season. He scored two touchdowns off fumble recoveries, becoming one of four players to score multiple defensive touchdowns in 2018. His 62-yard touchdown sealed a 22-10 upset of the Chargers in Week 16. "I've been here 23 years and the fastest way to lose a game is to play poorly in the secondary," DeCosta said. "We've been blessed to have a lot of good corners play here over the years and this is a guy who compares to all of them." Other Ravens players who are candidates for extensions before their rookie deals are complete are outside linebacker Matthew Judon and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.
|
