Mark Andrews is happy. The Baltimore Ravens are happy. Heck, even the rest of Andrews’ tight end teammates in Baltimore are over the moon about the veteran’s big extension.
Andrews, who turned 30 earlier this season, just signed a three-year, $39.3 million contract extension to essentially play out the remainder of his career in Charm City.
And like we said, his fellow Ravens TEs are pumped for him. Even the guy who many thought would be Andrews’ successor on the end of the line for Baltimore, Isaiah Likely. He said that he texted Andrews, “I love you, I’m proud of you,” after learning of the extension.
When asked about the possibility of his own deal with the Ravens, Likely, who is a free agent this offseason, said that he just likes to see other tight ends getting paid. Make of that what you will, but it sounds like he’s looking for a pay day of his own. And why not? He has shown signs of serious TE1 potential.
But what does that mean for Baltimore?
Ravens are putting all their TE eggs in the rickety Mark Andrews basket
It’s not just Likely that is going to be a free agent in 2026. Blocking tight end Charlie Kolar’s contract is up at the end of this season as well. That means the Ravens will be mighty thin at the TE position behind a 30-year-old that has had some major injuries in the recent past.
Even Andrews is hinting at his TE buddies hitting the bricks. At his presser following the announcement of the deal, he said they were all really happy for him but that they would all also get what they “deserve” this offseason.
Of course, after giving Andrews the sixth-biggest TE contract by AAV, that means those lucrative offers won’t be coming from the Ravens.
And that’s the worry. Likely and Kolar are not All-Pros by any means (though Likely could be one day), but they helped create a deep and reliable tight end room that Baltimore has relied on in full since Andrews’ last Pro Bowl in 2022.
Over the last 2+ seasons, Andrews has been decent, but we wouldn’t exactly call him elite. He’s 16th in yards (1,549), 21st in receptions (137), and 20th in targets (182) among TEs over that time.
And while his nose for the end zone cannot be denied, as his 22 TDs lead all TEs during that same time frame, it’s clear the 2021 All-Pro is slowing. He is averaging a career-low 27.7 receiving yards per game this year, and his three catches a game are his lowest since his rookie year.
Baltimore paid Andrews $14 million a year during his prime years, and they’ll be paying him almost the same, $13.1 million, during his twilight years as they likely watch younger players entering their primes—Likely and Kolar—jump ship for free.