After finishing the regular season with a 12-5 record and in first place in the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens eliminated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round before falling to the Buffalo Bills just a week later.
Baltimore and Buffalo have felt like division rivals recently, with the latter winning two divisional playoff games over the former in the last five years.
While the Bills are one of the teams standing in the Ravens’ way as they look to win another Super Bowl, a third in franchise history, the two AFC powerhouses may be able to help each other out.
Buffalo agreed to a reworked contract with linebacker Matt Milano that gives him the chance to earn the original amount he was owed in performance incentives. If the Bills are planning to move on from Milano, they may be able to trade him. Last Word on Sports’ Anthony Palacios recently listed the Ravens as a top landing spot for the linebacker.
Milano, 30, played collegiately at Boston College from 2013-16 before the Bills selected him in the fifth round (No. 163rd) of the 2017 NFL draft. The linebacker began his career as a core special teamer and rotational defensive player, but by his second season, he played his way into a starting role.
Over the last eight years, Milano has appeared in 94 games, recording 504 tackles (59 for a loss), 41 quarterback hits, 39 passes defensed, 11 fumble recoveries, 10.5 sacks, 10 interceptions and three forced fumbles.
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However, Milano has struggled to stay on the field recently, appearing in just nine games over the last two years due to a fractured leg in 2023 and a torn biceps in 2024.
In just four games last year, Milano finished with 16 tackles (one for a loss), two quarterback hits and two fumble recoveries. Pro Football Focus gave him a 48.0 overall grade for his performance, ranking him 161st out of 189 linebackers. He also earned a 75.5 pass-rush grade (16th), a 56.6 run-defense grade (148th) and a 40.4 coverage grade (160th).
Baltimore’s linebacker room is pretty solid with Roquan Smith running things in the middle, but they could benefit from having another veteran with plenty of experience to help the group make it through a long season and a potential playoff run.
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