Up agaist the salary cap this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens may have to say some tough goodbyes this offseason, potentially including one of their longtime stars.
Tight end Mark Andrews has the fourth-highest cap hit on the roster at just over $16.9 million, per OvertheCap. Baltimore could save $11 million in cap space by cutting Andrews this offseason, making him a very popular cut candidate among analysts.
General manager Eric DeCosta didn’t exactly quiet those rumors when asked about Andrews’ future on Tuesday.
“Mark is a great player,” DeCosta said. “We’re blessed to have three really good tight ends under contract this year. They all contribute in different ways. Their chemistry, their camaraderie, their impact on the offense, their relationship with the other skill guys is great. I mean, Mark is going to go down as one of our great players – he’ll be in the [Ravens] Ring of Honor someday. I love having Mark on the team – he’s an amazing player. I know he’s going to have an amazing season.”
“We’ll figure out all of the roster machinations over the coming weeks, but I can tell you, there’s no bigger fan of Mark Andrews than me. 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.”
Reading between the lines, it sounds like DeCosta might’ve been bidding farewell to the three-time Pro Bowl tight end. Yes, he’d definitely like to have Andrews around in an ideal world, but when cutting Andrews would free up more cap space than any other player on the roster, such a move could easily fall into the “roster machinations” DeCosta mentioned.
Further complicating matters is the fact that the Ravens’ other two tight ends – Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar – are both entering the final year of their contracts as well. Kolar is more of a blocking tight end, but Likely has shown No. 1 tight end potential. With him being the far younger and cheaper option, it’s very possible the Ravens hand him the reins this season.
If the Ravens do indeed move on from Andrews, it would unfortunately mean his time with the team ends on a sour note. He received a ton of criticism – some earned and some unearned – following the Ravens’ Divisional Round loss to the Buffalo Bills, in which he fumbled in the fourth quarter and dropped the game-tying two-point conversion. Considering all the good he’s done in Baltimore, that being his final memory in a Ravens uniform would be tragic.
Alas, that’s just the nature of the beast sometimes.
