Stanley Shows Ravens Loyalty, They Show Him the Money

For all intents and purposes, Ronnie Stanley is a pretty happy guy. 

He just signed a three-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens, where he played for the last ten years. He will make $60 million over that time. He opted to stay with the team who drafted him and did not even test the free agent waters, even though he more than earned that right.

As much money as Stanley signed for, he could have made more, much more. He reportedly turned down upwards of $5 million more a year from another team to stay with the Ravens.

He sat down with Sarah Ellison, of Ravens Vault, after he signed the contract and told her how happy he is in Baltimore.

"My decision to come back, the players for sure had the biggest role in that. The locker room and the type of players that we have, including Lamar [Jackson]," Stanley said. "I was talking to Lamar a lot, but not about contracts. Me and Lamar, we talk all the time. ... When he was going through his deal, we just talked like brothers. "But the players are the biggest driver of why I like being in Baltimore."

Stanley said he came back to Baltimore out of love for his teammates and respect to the organization. He said he is proud of the fact he is spending his entire career with one team.

"I think it goes back to the fact that they drafted me straight out of college," Stanley said. "They took a chance on me, so I'm always going to give them first dibs on things like that, out of respect."

He knows staying with one team for an entire career is rare. He is happy where he is. He could not see himself playing anywhere else.

 "I'm realizing how rare of a thing it is, and I think it's really cool to be able to spend 10+ years of my career with the same team," Stanley said. "I don't know the percentages of things like that happening, but I'm appreciative that I could be one of those players that could experience that."

Stanley said the only thing he is missing now is a Super Bowl title. He thinks the Ravens can compete for the title in 2025. They are taking the mindset there is unfinished business after losing in the first round of last season's playoffs.

"We've broken so many records the last [few] years, I don't think we really care about it, to be honest. ... The only thing we really care about is winning a Super Bowl," Stanley said. "Definitely unfinished business. I don't think anyone is really happy."