Ravens sign Will Hill to two year extension

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The Baltimore Ravens were able to shore up the safety position for the next few years by signing Will Hill to a two year contract. Terms of the deal are yet to be released, but Hill confirmed that the deal will keep him around for two more years. Hill had signed a one year $1.5 million deal before the season and was set to become a free agent in 2016. The new deal gives Hill some security and will allow him to focus strictly on football.

“It’s weight off my shoulders. This extension, it just helped out,” Hill said. “It gives me a lot of confidence on the playing field. Does everybody want a contract extension? Of course. I just really couldn’t focus on that. It has just been mainly mainstream football, getting ready for the season.” Hill mentioned Jimmy Smith, Kendrick Lewis and Terrell Suggs as players that will be special to play along with for years to come.

The stability that the Ravens organization offers is a really good situation for Hill. He has been able to turn things around on a personal level in his short time that he has spent with the team. He is able to turn to general manager Ozzie Newsome for daily advice. Hill said that he truly appreciates the family atmosphere in Baltimore.

“It is more family-oriented around here, and I know I have a good rapport with all my coaches – the offensive coaches, too,” Hill said. “I talk to Ozzie [Newsome] every day, and Mr. [Steve] Bisciotti – we have good conversations. They mingle with my family, so everybody is really family-oriented around here.”

The fourth year safety is coming off of a year in which he had 42 tackles, four pass breakups, along with an interception that he returned 44 yards for a touchdown. Hill and Lewis will lock down the safety spots. The two have already formed a solid tandem during training camp and into the preseason. Hill said that he and Lewis are a deadly combo that compliments each other very well.

Both Hill and Lewis can play close to the line of scrimmage in the box. Lewis lead the Houston Texans with 84 tackles last season. The two safeties also have enough range to play deep in single high coverage. The complete skill sets that the two safeties present makes them very interchangeable.

The next goal for Hill is to take things to another level and help the Ravens win a championship. He feels right at home in Baltimore and it has been that way from the start. “When I first signed and I sat down with Ozzie [Newsome], I knew from that point that I didn’t want to go anywhere; I wanted to be a Raven. And this extension, it just helped out, and it gives me a lot of confidence on the playing field. And it helps me see what this organization thinks of me.”