When Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was asked at the NFL Scouting Combine about tight end Mark Andrews, DeCosta was effusive in his praise of the All-Pro. He predicted that Andrews will be in the Ravens Ring of Honor one day. He called Andrews “a blessing” and said Andrews would go down as “one of our great players” in franchise history.
What DeCosta never did, though, was declare definitively that Andrews would be a Raven in 2025.
Andrews’ roster status is one of the most compelling and pressing issues facing DeCosta and the Ravens this spring. Andrews is entering the final year of a four-year, $56 million extension signed in 2021, and he has a $16.9 million cap hit this season — the fourth-highest on the team. The Ravens would free up $11 million in valuable cap space if Andrews were released or traded.
Complicating Andrews’ status is the fact that ascending tight end Isaiah Likely is also entering the final year of his rookie deal, and the Ravens are not likely to offer lucrative extensions to both.
Time is a factor for DeCosta, too. Andrews is due a $4 million roster bonus on the fifth day of the new league year, which begins March 12, according to Spotrac, which tracks player contracts.
Asked about Andrews at the Combine, DeCosta struck a tone that was more appreciative than anything else, and he acknowledged that “roster machinations” would play out in the next few weeks.
“Mark is a great player,” DeCosta said, noting that the team is “blessed” to have Andrews, Likely and Charlie Kolar as an imposing tight end trio. All three are entering their contract years.
“I love having Mark on the team. He’s an amazing player,” DeCosta added. “I know he’s going to have an amazing season. We’ll figure out all of the roster machinations over the coming weeks.”
Moving on from Andrews via release or trade would create much needed cap space but would also create a major void in the offense and the locker room. Andrews, who turns 30 in September, has been quarterback Lamar Jackson’s top target since the duo arrived together as rookies in 2018.
Andrews finished the 2024 season with 55 catches for 673 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he set a team record by catching a touchdown pass in six straight games.
Andrews, though, had a disastrous day in the AFC divisional round playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. He fumbled early in the fourth quarter with the Ravens driving for a potential go-ahead score, and then he dropped a two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game with 1:33 left. The Ravens lost, 27-25.
Was that the last play of Andrews’ career as a Raven? If so, it would be an inglorious end for a player who has already set the franchise record for touchdown catches overall (51) and receiving yards by a tight end (5,530).
He needs 248 yards to break Derrick Mason’s franchise record for receiving yards.
The simplest solution for DeCosta and the Ravens is simply to do nothing and let Andrews play out the final year of his contract. Andrews’ hefty cap figure isn’t quite as imposing after the league announced on Feb. 27 that the 2025 salary cap would be $279.2 million, a jump of more than $23 million from last season.
If Andrews remains a Raven for this season and leaves as a free agent next spring, the Ravens would likely recoup a mid-round compensatory pick in the 2027 draft.
The Ravens could also look to extend Andrews to lower his cap hit for 2025 and beyond, but that would probably mean the end of Likely after this season.
As DeCosta said at the team’s season-ending news conference, “We’ll have some decisions to make moving forward.”
DeCosta’s comments at the Scouting Combine might have been a signal that he is willing to listen to trade offers for Andrews, but it takes two sides to make a deal. Would teams be willing to take on Andrews’ contract, with the thought of extending him well past his age-30 season? Or would teams look to the draft, thinking they could find the next Andrews at a significantly cheaper price?
ESPN’s Mel Kiper projects two tight ends — Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland — as first-round picks, but plenty of top tight ends, including Andrews, have been discovered in later rounds. Andrews was a third-round pick in 2018, and Travis Kelce (third round, 2013), George Kittle (fifth round, 2017) and Sam LaPorta (second round, 2023) are among standout tight ends that were all chosen after the first round.
If GMs are impressed with the depth of the tight end crop this year, DeCosta will have a tougher time finding a trade partner. Then again, DeCosta made it clear that he won’t be upset if, after all the “roster machinations,” Andrews ends up right back in Baltimore for 2025.
“I can tell you,” DeCosta said, “there’s no bigger fan of Mark Andrews than me.”
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