The Baltimore Ravens signed running back Derrick Henry to a two-year contract as an NFL free agent last offseason. After one season, has the former Alabama All-American already outplayed the $16 million deal?

At his end-of-season press conference, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said a contract extension wasn’t out of the question for Henry.

“We’ll look at that,” DeCosta said. “I think it’s a good question. I’m just so grateful that Derrick chose us last year. He came in and, I can honestly just say, his attitude and the way that he played was amazing to watch. His relationship with his teammates, his humility as a player, his work ethic — I can’t wait to see him next year. I know it was tough on him to end the way it did — tough on all of us.

“But I think we have a chip on our shoulders to come back next year with a vengeance, to start faster than we started this year, to not start 0-2 next year, to get out of the gates faster. I think Derrick will be a big part of that.”

Baltimore’s season ended in the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs when the Ravens lost to the Buffalo Bills 27-25 on Jan. 19.

During the 2024 regular season, Henry ran for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns on 325 carries. His yardage total was the 11th-highest in a single season in NFL history, and his TD total tied for the league lead. With his two touchdowns scored on his 19 receptions for 193 yards, Henry set a franchise single-season record with 18 touchdowns in 2024.

“I think he proved that he had a lot left in the tank,” DeCosta said.

That was in question when the 2023 season ended.

From 2019 through 2022, Henry ran for 6,590 yards and 59 touchdowns on 1,370 carries in 55 regular-season and five playoff games for the Tennessee Titans. He averaged 109.8 rushing yards per game and 4.81 yards per carry across those four seasons.

In 2023, Henry averaged 68.6 rushing yards per game and 4.17 yards per carry and turned 30 years old three days before the regular-season finale.

The Ravens landed Henry for a contract that made him the seventh highest-paid running back in the NFL in the 2024 season at $11 million, with his signing bonus making up $7.79 million of that. His base salary and signing bonus totaled $9 million, but Henry also collected $500,000 each for reaching 1,200 rushing yards, 1,500 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns and 15 touchdowns to add $2 million to his intake.

Of the running backs under contract for the 2025 season, Henry’s payday of $7 million ranks as the seventh-highest. Henry has a $6 million base salary and is due a $1 million bonus if he’s on the roster on March 16.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.