Ravens sign TE Mark Andrews to massive $56 million extension
By Justin Fried
The Baltimore Ravens have reportedly agreed to terms on a massive four-year, $56 million extension with star tight end Mark Andrews.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Andrews will have an APY of $14 million that makes him the third-highest-paid tight end in the NFL behind George Kittle ($15 million) and Travis Kelce ($14.3 million).
The deal includes a whopping $37.6 million in guarantees which accounts for 63 percent of his contract, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Andrews will be paid $26.6 million by March of next year.
Andrews wanted to get paid among the top players at his position, and while he didn’t quite top Kittle and Kelce in terms of APY, the added guarantees are likely what allowed this deal to get done.
The Ravens have Mark Andrews locked up for the next four years
Andrews’ contract situation was one of the biggest talking points of the last few months with the standout tight end entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Along with Lamar Jackson, Andrews was one of the most important players the Ravens needed to re-sign. Now, they’ve gotten a deal done.
As Rapoport indicated, reaching an extension with Andrews was one of the biggest goals the Ravens’ front office hoped to achieve before the start of the season.
It came down to The Wire (RIP Michael K. Williams), but they managed to get it done.
Andrews is now under contract for close to the next half-decade and the Ravens can get to work on other extensions.
Besides the obvious in Jackson, the likes of DeShon Elliott and Bradley Bozeman — among a number of veteran players — could be looking for new deals in the near future.
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The Ravens now have one of their best players locked in for the foreseeable future. A major obstacle has been overcome by both parties before the official start of the 2021 season.