2024 NFL free agency: Ravens safety Geno Stone says he wants to ‘be somewhere I’m appreciated’
The Baltimore Ravens had arguably the top defense in the league in 2023, but will have to open up the checkbook this offseason to ensure they can keep some of the key players who helped them reach that status. The club has a few notable free agents set to hit the market, including safety Geno Stone.
The 24-year-old is coming off a breakout campaign where he played in all 17 games (11 starts) for the Ravens and had career numbers across the board. He finished with 68 tackles, nine pass breakups and seven interceptions. Stone also allowed just a 63.8 passer rating when targeted. All that should lead to a sizable bump in pay for the former seventh-round pick out of Iowa, which he hopes will come from the Ravens.
Geno Stone BAL • SAF • #26 View Profile
“At the end of the day, Baltimore is always home, but business is business,” Stone told NFL Network on Tuesday, via NFL.com. “You know that being in this league this long. I’ve been through it all, especially my rookie year. I just want to be somewhere I’m appreciated, you know, who wants me and for me to be a starter, whatever it may be. I just want my value to be there.”
Stone had a rocky start to his career before this strong 2023 season. After being a Day 3 pick, he was waived by the Ravens in December of 2020 and was briefly claimed by the Houston Texans before returning to Baltimore in the spring of 2021. It wasn’t until the 2022 season that Stone saw a noticeable bump in playing time, notching 41% of the defensive snaps that year. This season, he logged 82% of the snaps on defense.
Stone bursting onto the scene in 2023 couldn’t have come at a better time as he should have a solid market for himself. Spotrac projects the safety to fetch a contract that could pay him $7.2 million annually. At this point, the four-year veteran has earned around $4 million in his career. Over The Cap has the Ravens with roughly $5.1 million in salary cap space at the moment, so they will have to get their books in order to retain some of their free agents like Stone.
If not Baltimore, the Seattle Seahawks could be an interesting landing spot after the team hired former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald as its head coach this offseason.
Stone is No. 48 in CBS Sports senior writer Pete Prisco’s top 100 list of free agents.
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