Chargers RB Keaton Mitchell signed with the team as a free agent this offseason. But it wasn't what he expected to happen. Mitchell entered free agency because the Baltimore Ravens did not offer him an RFA tender.
With the Ravens not retaining Mitchell on the tender, Joe Hortiz had the chance to sign a running back he scouted in Baltimore just a few years ago. The Chargers could also sweeten their Mitchell offer financially without it counting against the comp pick formula. As a result of Baltimore not offering the tender, Hortiz saw a loophole he could take advantage of. The speedster RB signed with the Chargers on a 2 year, $9.25M deal.
Chargers RB Keaton Mitchell finally speaks on how his time in Baltimore ended.
Mitchell broke his silence on not being retained by the Ravens when he was asked about it on Monday. Daniel Popper of the Athletic asked if he was surprised the Ravens didn't tender him. "Definitely. Definitely," Mitchell started. "They didn't contact me or my agent at all." The word Mitchell got from his agent prior to free agency was that he expected Baltimore to tender him. He went back to Baltimore after spending part of the offseason in Georgia to look into extending his lease there.
"I was surprised," Mitchell admitted. "I ain't gonna lie, I was surprised for sure."
Mitchell said the Chargers were in contact with him very quickly after the tender deadline as he got on a call with Joe Hortiz, Jim Harbaugh, Mike McDaniel, and others in the organization.
In response to ESPN's Kris Rhim calling the rejection by Baltimore motivating, Mitchell admitted he felt that way. "I was in shock."
The Chargers play the Ravens in Baltimore this year. The main storyline will of course be Jim Harbaugh squaring off against his protégé in new Ravens HC Jesse Minter. But Mitchell clearly feels a certain way and has that date on the calendar circled. "It's gonna be fun," Mitchell said. The Chargers will find out when they'll travel to Baltimore after the 2026 NFL schedule releases on Thursday.
The Chargers have a fun running back room between Omarion Hampton, Kimani Vidal, and Mitchell. It's one of the deeper backfields in the league. Earlier this offseason, Harbaugh called the trio "thunder and lightning".
Mitchell adds true 4.3 speed that the Chargers have not had in a while with their running game.
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