Ravens extend WR Willie Snead IV, opening up cap space for potential trade

The Ravens are in the midst of one of their better starts in recent team history, and have a lot of good mojo surrounding the franchise at the moment. Another feel good story emerged on Monday, as news of an extension of one of their better veteran offensive players came out, courtesy of ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

Willie Snead IV, who was an under-the-radar restricted free agent pickup heading into the 2018 season, had a strong campaign in his first year with Baltimore. He’s off to another solid start to 2019, which is his last year before hitting unrestricted free agency, and it looks like Eric DeCosta is seeing to it that he doesn’t get there quite yet.

It’s also possible that DeCosta has other moves in the pipeline that an extension like this would allow for him to make. Extending Snead now frees up approximately $2 million in cap space which could mean that the Ravens brass has the framework of a deadline trade in place and just needed to get a bit creative with the cap to make it happen.

While there’s nothing we can do but wait on that news, this extension is a good sign either way. Snead is a sure-handed, hard-nosed possession receiver who’s still in his prime, and he clearly has the trust of Lamar Jackson - which is a big deal for a young quarterback.

He’ll be in Baltimore through at least 2020 now and figures to be a big part of this offense throughout that period. In the meantime, stay tuned for more potential news corresponding to this as well.