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Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer
BALTIMORE — The Ravens have agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million extension with Michael Pierce, a source told ESPN’s Field Yates on Saturday, which keeps the starting nose tackle from becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Pierce, 31, has started all 16 games for a Ravens defense that has allowed the fewest points (16.4) and the fourth-fewest yards (302.1) in the NFL this season. He had signed a three-year, $16.5 million deal with Baltimore in 2022 but restructured his deal in March, putting him in line to be a free agent in 2024.
In his seventh NFL season, Pierce ranks third on the Ravens in run stop win rate (36.9%) and second among Baltimore defensive linemen with 19 pass-rush wins. The biggest improvement for Pierce has been his durability. He played in double-digit games for the first time since 2019, and his 619 snaps this season are a career high.
The Ravens’ biggest priority on the defensive line is keeping defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, who leads NFL interior linemen with 13 sacks. He is an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Baltimore (13-3), which has already clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed, hosts the rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday in the regular-season finale.