ExtremeRavens Posted Tuesday at 06:14 PM Posted Tuesday at 06:14 PM During the Ravens’ predraft luncheon on Tuesday, general manager Eric DeCosta was asked if he fully expects tight end Mark Andrews to remain with the team and be a focal point of Baltimore’s Super Bowl aspirations next season. DeCosta was complimentary, yet noncommittal. “Oh, man,” he said. “I never know what’s gonna happen. And I would never want to say this or that. But I can tell you this, Mark Andrews, he’s a warrior and he’s played his butt off for his. His competitiveness, his talent, his attitude, his leadership, is so valued here.” Andrews has been a centerpiece of Baltimore’s offseason scuttlebutt. The veteran tight end, who is a surefire future member of the Ravens’ Ring of Honor, ended his season on murky terms. Andrews dropped the game-tying 2-point conversion attempt in Baltimore’s AFC divisional round loss to the Buffalo Bills. That came shortly after a costly fumble in Bills territory that set up the eventual decisive field goal. He did not speak postgame and did not attend the open portion of locker room cleanup the following afternoon, rather opting to share his remorse on social media. It wasn’t all bad. Despite needing six weeks to put the ball in the end zone, Andrews led the Ravens in receiving touchdowns (11) and was second in receptions, trailing only Zay Flowers in the league’s most potent offense by DVOA. He also became the franchise’s all-time leader in touchdowns. Andrews is now entering the final season of a four-year, $56 million contract extension he signed in September 2021. Rumors of Baltimore moving on from Lamar Jackson’s career-long safety blanket speak to the depth behind him, namely ascendent tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar. DeCosta also has 11 picks to work with heading into next week’s draft, which he said provides the organization some “flexibility.” Should the Ravens move on from Andrews, next week’s NFL draft could be a logical place to start. That said, DeCosta couldn’t remember ever trading away a player on draft day. He was reminded about sending wide receiver Marquise Brown to Arizona for the 22nd overall pick in 2022. DeCosta boxed himself into revealing that he had made that deal the Monday before the draft. His answer tumbled away from any more Andrews speculation. When posed a similar question about Andrews’ future at the NFL owners meetings last month, Ravens coach John Harbaugh had this to say: “I do fully expect him to be playing for us next year. He’s just too good a player. Obviously, with any player, there’s always that — probably any player — it’s just coaches [and] players … It’s the National Football League. That’s part of the deal, with things happening, so I never could say anybody … but Mark would be one of the few guys I would expect to be here, so we’ll see what happens. My plans are that we’ve got Mark, we’ve got Isaiah, we’ve got Charlie, we’ve got Pat Ricard all in place doing all those jobs.” If Baltimore explores trading Andrews, he would certainly make for a strong chip at the negotiation table for a potential Day 1 or Day 2 draft slot. He’s a highly respected locker-room presence and still a formidable pass catcher, even if his total output dipped. His annual salary ranks sixth among tight ends, but a team trading for him would only be responsible for the $7 million base salary. Only time will tell how all of this plays out. Just don’t expect DeCosta to show his cards beyond admiration for Andrews’ past seven seasons as a Raven. “He’s a great player,” DeCosta said. “And I think we’re in the business of keeping as many great players as we can. There’s always a lot of unpredictability with the draft. You just never know.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn. Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said Tuesday that “we’re in the business of keeping as many great players as we can. There’s always a lot of unpredictability with the draft. You just never know.” (Kevin Richardson/Staff) View the full article Quote
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