Ronnie Stanley's upcoming free agency will be the talk of the town until the Baltimore Ravens pay up. It's no secret general manager Eric DeCosta and the Ravens are interested in bringing him back. That much is certain. However, optimism doesn't cut checks.
Several teams figure to be in the Stanley sweepstakes, and the longer Baltimore goes without getting a deal done with the Pro Bowl left tackle, the more likely it feels he will depart in free agency. The New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs have been rumored to be the two most interested teams, but it goes without saying, teams with cap space and a need for a stalwart offensive tackle could be interested in his services, driving up his price range, ultimately pricing him out of Baltimore. Ugh.
Well, there are some moves the Ravens could consider to clear more cap space. There are contract restructures, contract extensions, and roster cuts DeCosta could look into to clear some space for the big fella... but there might also be an even easier—tougher pill to swallow—way. And it involves firing up the old trade machine and getting the Los Angeles Chargers on the phone.
Ravens could trade Mark Andrews to the Chargers to clear cap space
The Chargers haven't had a truly game-changing tight end since the days of Antonio Gates. With a quarterback like Justin Herbert, that feels like a massive disservice to the young stud. Well, according to Moe Moton at Bleacher Report, that could all change this offseason. Enter Mark Andrews.
Moton suggested the Ravens trade Mark Andrews to LA in an ultimate win-win situation. But how is trading Andrews to the Chargers a win for the Ravens, you ask? Simple. Cap space. and $11 million of it. With that amount of savings, Baltimore could easily foot the bill for Ronnie Stanley's contract, which is the most important situation taking form this offseason (no offense to Andrews). Moton laid out the win-win pretty straightforwardly:
"If the Ravens deal Andrews, they could recoup $11 million in cap space, which they could use to re-sign left tackle Ronnie Stanley.
The Chargers need a consistent pass-catcher other than Ladd McConkey. No other player on the roster finished with more than 55 receptions last season."
While it surely wouldn’t be fun to see Andrews go, the truth is Stanley is the bigger priority. Isaiah Likely looks more than ready to be the starting tight end, with Charlie Kolar waiting in the wings for an expanded role. Meanwhile, there’s no clear replacement for Stanley. Roger Rosengarten could theoretically move to left tackle, but do the Ravens really want to gamble with that while Lamar Jackson is laser-focused on a Super Bowl run? Probably not.
At the end of the day, this isn’t about feelings—it’s about championships. Trading Andrews wouldn’t be a move the Ravens want to make, but it might be the one they have to make. The Chargers get a true difference-maker for Justin Herbert, the Ravens get cap relief and assets, and Stanley stays right where he belongs, protecting the franchise.
Sometimes, the hardest moves are the smartest ones.