When the 2024 offseason began, Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta faced a challenging task: navigating minimal cap space while adding to a group capable of winning a Super Bowl. DeCosta had to make difficult decisions about which players to recruit and which to keep, and the Ravens may find themselves in a similar predicament in 2025 if they do not address their cap.
In a piece titled “Every Team’s Most Important Contract Extension Ahead of 2024 NFL Season,” Ryan Fowler of Bleacher Report mentioned TE Mark Andrews of the Ravens.
“Cap space is an issue in Baltimore both now and down the road, but keeping Andrews would raise the offensive ceiling for the Ravens in the future,” noted Fowler.
Andrews has a $56 million, four-year deal that will expire in 2024 and 2025, with a $16.91 million cap hit in each year going forward.
“As players get older, the length of the extension and the financial details become more and more uncertain, but GM Eric DeCosta should continue to prioritize locking in Andrews past his 30-year-old season,” Fowler said.
Since joining the NFL, Andrews—who will be 28 in 2024—has established himself as one of the league’s most formidable tight ends. One of quarterback Lamar Jackson’s favorite weapons has been him.
In addition to Andrews, the Ravens will have seven players with eight-figure cap hits: Jackson ($43 million), Marlon Humphrey ($25 million), and Roquan Smith ($22 million) are among the players with the highest cap hits.
One of the most popular methods to defuse a tight cap scenario is to restructure current contracts, and Andrews will undoubtedly be a top contender.
TE Mark Andrews Hoping to Return in 2024
After being selected by the Ravens in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft, Andrews is about to begin his sixth season in the league. Andrews has been a dominant tight end since joining the league, earning a spot on the All-Pro First Team and three Pro Bowls.
Andrews has 40 touchdowns, 4,857 receiving yards, and 381 receptions in six seasons. In 2021, he recorded his best-ever season with 107 catches and 1,361 receiving yards.
Since 2018, Andrews has only trailed George Kittle and Travis Kelce in receiving yards among tight ends. In terms of receiving yards, the standout tight end led the Ravens in 2019, 2021, and 2022.
Before Cincinnati Bengals LB Logan Wilson’s hip drop tackle sidelined Andrews, who was poised to lead the Ravens once more in 2023, the tight end was out for the whole of the regular season.
With six receiving touchdowns, Andrews led the club in touchdown receptions despite only playing in ten games.
For the Ravens, Andrews is a leader both on and off the field, and he will be essential if they want to contend for the Super Bowl this year. In 2024, the Ravens will be depending on Andrews to spearhead their receiving assault once more and provide the missing weaponry against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game.
The Amazing Duo of Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews of the Ravens
There was worry that the Ravens receiving group might significantly regress when Andrews went down against the Bengals. That proved not to be the case, though, as TE Isaiah Likely excelled greatly while Andrews was absent.
was most likely selected by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft, and they had high expectations for him. When Andrews was unable to play, he performed exceptionally well, and in 2023 he did it again.
Likely has 30 receptions for 411 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns in the 2023 season. All five of the touchdowns and 21 of the 322 receiving yards came during the six games in which Andrews was hurt.
However, Fowler stated, “Mark Andrews will remain Baltimore’s top flex weapon as long as he’s in town, even though Isaiah Likely’s ascent has been a positive.”
It is hoped that Andrews and Likely would combine to create a potent tandem at tight end, pushing opposing defenses to adjust to two tight end sets. The Ravens should have one of the most flexible attacks in the NFL with the addition of RB Derrick Henry and the continued development of WR Zay Flowers.
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