ExtremeRavens Posted July 22 Posted July 22 “The foot is healed, and it’s not a problem anymore, thank God.” — Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman That wasn’t always the case for the enigmatic former first round draft pick, which perhaps explains why he has a LinkedIn page, titling himself “Creative at Without Lords.” Under the “about” section, he lists: Receiver for Baltimore Ravens Owner-Without Lords Owner-Without Musik In the “experience” section, it reads: Clothing Designer-Without Lords-Full time. There was a time when most NFL players held jobs in the offseason to supplement their income. But that was decades ago, long before Bateman signed a two-year contract extension worth nearly $13 million this offseason (though former Baltimore safety Matt Elam was once a shoe salesman at Finish Line in the offseason because he was interested in owning a sports retail store). Bateman’s interest in other endeavors, meanwhile, stems from his love of fashion beginning at a young age combined with the scare of an uncertain future after injuries, including Lisfranc surgery on his left foot, derailed most of his first two seasons in the league. “Just having another outlet helps me with peace of mind,” Bateman told The Baltimore Sun. “When I got hurt, I didn’t know what it was gonna look like so I started to go really hard at [fashion]. It’s very important to me.” Which is why he says he decided this offseason to launch his own clothing line with a small group of close friends, including former University of Minnesota teammate Demetrius Douglas, who gave up football during the pandemic in 2020 and eventually turned to studying fashion. It’s also why Bateman spent part of his offseason — when he wasn’t training in the heat of Phoenix summer working out what he said was “three, four times a day every day” — at fashion week in Paris. The trip was coincidental, but it provided inspiration as much it did an opportunity to escape and unplug from social media, a chance to “get away” as Bateman told The Sun, for the often polarizing but gifted pass catcher Ravens fans are still waiting to break out. Bateman, now entering his fourth NFL season, put up his best numbers as a rookie in 2021 — an at-best pedestrian 46 catches for 515 yards. In 2023, he played essentially a full season (he was inactive for one game), for the first time but still finished with just 32 catches for 367 yards and a single touchdown. For his career, Bateman has just four touchdown catches. “It was a whole mental up and down for the past couple years,” Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman said. “I’m definitely better now.” (Amy Davis/Staff) In addition to his foot injury, which lingered into last summer, he also struggled mentally in the wake of the death of his grandmother in January of last year, followed shortly thereafter by the trauma of a teenage cousin who killed himself not long after finishing high school. “It was a whole mental up and down for the past couple years,” Bateman said an interview with the team’s website earlier this offseason. “I’m definitely better now.” He said the trials and tribulations also made him stronger, and he added in the same interview that he didn’t do enough in practices last season to earn the trust of new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who said this offseason that injuries were also a concern early in the year. A lack of trust perhaps also explains his disconnect with quarterback and eventual NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson last season. Despite being open often, Bateman was targeted just 56 times in 2023, with only four games in which Jackson targeted him at least five times. His season high for receiving yards was 54 against the Miami Dolphins in Week 16, and in two playoff games he had just four catches for 41 yards on six targets, including just one catch for 2 yards in a 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. Still, the Ravens are bullish on the 24-year-old, who also had one of the best separation marks in the league last year, according to Pro Football Focus. In the offseason, with one year left on the receiver’s rookie contract, general manager Eric DeCosta signed him to a two-year extension, a move that surprised even Bateman. Coach John Harbaugh said that he expects the receiver will “take a big step” in 2024 and that Bateman is “expected to be a top receiver in the league for us.” “I expect a tremendous year [from] him,” Monken added. “We certainly could have found a way to get him the ball more.” Yet, the timing between Jackson and Bateman has yet to align, even early in 2024. When Bateman was at some of the voluntary organized team activities in the spring, Jackson was not. When Jackson was there, Bateman was not. And while both were in attendance for last month’s three-day mandatory minicamp, Jackson often threw elsewhere during the practices, with Bateman at times becoming frustrated before he saw an increase of targets and catches on the final afternoon. Sunday, Bateman was on the field for the first day of training camp, but Jackson was out sick. Jackson was still absent Monday, though Bateman had some nice plays on the rainy afternoon, including plucking one underthrown deep ball off the grass. He made the grabs in a new pair of gold cleats he’s been sporting, a nod to his personal style and the product of shoe artist Salvatore Marcum, whose payment from Bateman has been helpful for the designer’s ongoing cancer treatments. “Obviously, this year is different than last year,” Bateman said. “I’m healthy, 100%, and that’s all I can say about it. I don’t really want to keep talking about my injuries. It’s past me. That’s the past now, so we’re onto bigger and better things now. “It’s not about me. I need to do what’s best for this team — whatever that is [and] whatever my role is. I expect my role to be bigger, and I’m ready to take on that role.” What does he feel he needs to do in order to fulfill that promise? “Continue to stay healthy,” Bateman said, “and I’ve just got to go out and show consistency, so Lamar can trust me, so the team can trust me, so Todd Monken can trust me. “I feel good. I feel good.” View the full article Quote
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