Eric DeCosta noncommittal about Mark Andrews future with Ravens

The Ravens general manager double down on his faith in the three-time Pro Bowler but left the door open for a potential parting of ways.

For the part he played in the team’s demise in the Divisional Round of the 2024 playoffs, fans, pundits and prognosticators have been hellbent on running Baltimore Ravens three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews out of town via trade of as a salary cap casualty.

During his NFL Combine press conference on Tuesday, general manager Eric DeCosta expressed his excitement about the Ravens’ entire depth chart at the position. However, he didn’t say much to douse those flames of doubt surrounding Andrews’ future in Baltimore despite going out of his way to praise Andrews for the contributions he has made. If anything, he fanned the flames let the rest of the league know they’re open to potentially trading him.

“We’ll figure out all the roster machinations over the coming weeks but I can tell you that there is no bigger fan of Mark Andrews than me,” DeCosta said. “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.”

Andrews remains highly revered in the eyes of the organization and they still believe that he can produce at a high level but it remains to be seen whether it will continue being in Charm City where he made a name for himself.

“Mark’s gonna go down as one out great players, he’ll be in the Ring of Honor someday,” DeCosta said. “I love having Mark on the team. He’s an awesome player. I know he’s going to have an amazing season.”

The Ravens will boast the deepest tight end room in the NFL for the 2025 season if Andrews stays put with Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar behind him. However, all three are heading into the final years of their respective contracts and will be unrestricted free agents next offseason if they’re not extended between now and then.

“We’re blessed to have three really good tight ends under contract this year,” DeCosta said. “They all contribute in different ways, their chemistry, their camaraderie, their impact on the offense, their relationship with the other skill guys is great.”

Likely and Kolar were fourth-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft and are eligible for extensions for the first time this offseason. While both players are coming off career-best seasons as pass catchers, Likely is the most intriguing early extension candidate of the two given all the explosive playmaking potential he has flashed when given the opportunity and when utilized in a more featured role as a result of injury to Andrews.

As exciting as Likely’s maturation has been to watch over his first three seasons when Andrews has been on the field and healthy, he has been as productive and impactful as ever. After a slow start to the 2024 season coming off a serious preseason car accident he was fortunate to walk away unscathed, Andrews was a chain-moving and touchdown-scoring machine in the second half of the season. He became the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdowns, broke the record for most consecutive games with a receiving touchdown at six in a row and finished the season with 55 catches on 69 targets for 673 receiving yards and a career-high 11 receiving touchdowns.

This year’s NFL Draft class is widely believed to have one of the deepest talent pools at tight end in recent years and with 11 projected picks, the Ravens could very well be looking to take one this year before the position becomes a glaring need next offseason. There will be plenty of promising tight end prospects in Indianapolis this week at the Combine which the Ravens will certainly have their eye on as Day 3 targets.

DeCosta didn’t mince words when talking about the Ravens intentions to retain two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley on Tuesday but with just $9.7 million in effective projected cap space according to Overthecap, it’ll be hard to make happen without much breathing room. If the Ravens were to move on from Andrews this offseason, they’d free up $11 million in cap space which they could use towards solidifying their offensive line.