The Mark Andrews era should be nearing an end. The Baltimore Ravens tight end hasn’t lived up to his extension. After a decent start to the season, it’s been drop after drop and penalty after penalty.
Unfortunately, Baltimore can’t easily get out of the contract. The three-year, $39.3 million deal was a mistake at the time, and looks like a disaster with each passing day. Andrews isn’t playing like someone who should stick around in 2027, but the Ravens won’t have much of an opportunity to cut him until post-June 1 next offseason.
Such a move would save a little over $4 million. In the same breath, they wouldn’t create that financial freedom until the prime free agency spending period is months in the rearview mirror.
Would Eric DeCosta opt to part ways with Andrews when that time comes?
Mark Andrews' contract complicates a potential Baltimore Ravens breakup
Regardless of what happens, Mark Andrews can’t be the Ravens’ TE1 next season. The falloff has been obvious for years, and 2026 has made it abundantly clear there’s no bounce back coming. Lamar Jackson can’t save him; Declan Doyle can’t save him.
The 31-year-old is a lackluster short-yardage weapon at this point in his career, and this season, he’s accounted for five drops and five penalties.
Those miscues can’t happen when you’re supposed to be a trusted veteran — that’s the player he’s regressed into, though.
It seems easy to say you cut ties with Andrews as soon as the season is over. Baltimore should quickly transition to the Matt Hibner and Josh Cuevas era, or potentially add a new lead tight end. But Andrews’ contract and the team’s cap situation will complicate things, at least at the start of the offseason.
Again, the aforementioned $4 million cap savings from cutting Andrews won’t kick in until post-June 1. If you want the Ravens to move on before then, they’d be dealt about a $1.5 million cap hit.
Baltimore’s already in a tough spot in 2027, too. They’re $45.94 million under right now, and while extending Lamar Jackson and clearing up his $84.34 million cap hit will fix some things, other contracts like Roquan Smith and Nnamdi Madubuike loom heavily to the tune of $30+ million.
Simply put, there won’t be much wiggle room. It’ll be so tight that the Ravens might choose to retain Andrews for next season and run it back with the same tight end room. A late offseason departure and creating another hole on your roster may not be smart business.
And sure the front office could prepare for his departure ahead of time in the 2027 NFL Draft, but I’d say the Ravens have bigger holes to fill on offensive line and defense. If Hibner and Cuevas develop and Andrews keeps blocking relatively well, there may not be a reason to change the tight end room next year.
Andrews definitely doesn’t deserve to be making that money, though. It’s a major blemish on Eric DeCosta’s resume, and Baltimore may just have to deal with it moving forward.
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