Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is currently under contract for the 2025 season. That could change in the coming weeks.
Andrews found himself in the center of Baltimore's loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round thanks to two separate mistakes, a crucial fumble and drop that helped cost the Ravens a chance at revenge against the Kansas City Chiefs the next week.
Releasing Andrews would save the Baltimore $11 million in salary cap space, but Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is going to look at more than just one game to decide whether or not to go forth with that.
Ravens GM Eric DeCosta sounds off on Mark Andrews' future
DeCosta drafted Andrews all the way back in 2018 and has watched him become one of the best tight ends in the NFL at his peak. He also understands that he has to make decisions that are best for the entire team.
When asked about Andrews' future with the tight end group as a whole set to enter respective contract years, DeCosta kept the door open for anything.
"I think Mark is a great player," DeCosta said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. "We're blessed to have three really good tight ends under contract this year. They all contribute in different ways, their chemistry, their camaraderie, their impact on the offense, the relationship with the other skilled guys is great. I mean, Mark's going to go down as one of our great players. He'll be in the Ring of Honor someday. I love having Mark on the team. He's an awesome player. I know he's gonna have an amazing season.
"We'll figure out all the roster machinations over the coming weeks," DeCosta continued. "But I can tell you, there's no bigger fan of Mark Andrews than me, and he's been a blessing to have on the team, his leadership, the way he approaches the game, his attention to detail. He's just one of those guys."
The respect DeCosta has for Andrews is immense, so much to the point that he wasn't going to make any notable declarations at the combine in front of the NFL world. Andrews at least deserves his flowers as the front office continues to work through how to manage the position group going forward.
That said, any time a decision-maker brings up how a player will be viewed when his career is over like DeCosta did in his answer, the chances of moving on from said player soon are definitely real. Andrews' Ravens career speaks for itself, and DeCosta wanted to speak on it anyways in case a release is the plan in the coming weeks.
Andrews, despite how the year ended, still led the Ravens tight end room in receptions (62), yards (761), and led the NFL in touchdowns (11) for the position. Moving on from him would create a vacuum, no matter how necessary it may be. The Ravens currently have a projected $12,766,460 in cap space according to OverTheCap.com.
Whatever DeCosta plans on doing with Andrews, the decision will be made sooner rather than later.
