Mark Andrews’ future in Baltimore is getting harder to picture, but the Ravens may not have a clean way to move on.
The tight end has not come close to living up to the three-year, $39.3 million extension he signed, and the problems have piled up. After a decent start, the season has turned into a string of drops and penalties, with Andrews now sitting at five drops and five penalties. At 31, he no longer looks like the kind of trusted veteran Baltimore can count on as its top tight end.
That’s the frustrating part for the Ravens: the football case for a change is obvious, but the contract makes it messy. Baltimore won’t have much of a chance to cut him until post-June 1 next offseason, and that move would save a little over $4 million. If the team decided to part ways earlier, it would instead take on about a $1.5 million cap hit.
So even if the Ravens want to reset at tight end, the timing works against them. The front office would be stuck waiting until the prime free agency spending period is already in the rearview mirror before getting that cap relief.
There’s also the bigger roster picture to consider. Baltimore is already looking at a tight 2027 situation, with the team $45.94 million under right now. Extending Lamar Jackson and clearing his $84.34 million cap hit would help, but other major contracts, including Roquan Smith and Nnamdi Madubuike, still loom at more than $30 million combined.
That’s why a clean breakup may not be the likeliest path. The Ravens could decide it’s smarter to keep Andrews for next season and avoid creating another hole late in the offseason. They could also start planning for life after him in the 2027 NFL Draft, though the bigger needs on offensive line and defense may take priority.
For now, the path forward is murky. Andrews does not look like a player worth that contract, and the deal remains a major blemish on Eric DeCosta’s record. But Baltimore may be forced to live with it a little longer.
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