Once again, the Ravens’ season slipped away in a close playoff loss — this time through the hands of franchise legend Mark Andrews.

The tight end failed to haul in a pass that hit his hands and would have tied the game late after losing a fumble earlier in the fourth quarter, and Baltimore lost to Buffalo, 27-25, in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.

The Ravens face five pressing questions as the offseason begins.

How much pressure is John Harbaugh under?

Three offseasons ago, the Ravens were coming off a last-place finish in the AFC North. They’d won just one playoff game over their past seven seasons. Harbaugh was entering the final year of his deal. Still, owner Steve Bisciotti would not budge in his commitment to his longtime coach. In signing Harbaugh to a contract extension through 2025, Bisciotti said he had “no interest in having him go lame duck on me here. It’s not fair to him.”

As Harbaugh enters the final year of his deal and his 18th year in Baltimore, Bisciotti has another decision to make on his future. It shouldn’t be a hard one. Since quarterback Lamar Jackson took over as a full-time starter in 2019, few teams have been as consistently impressive in the regular season and as thoroughly disappointing in the postseason. Over the past six seasons, the Ravens have won three AFC North titles; made five playoff appearances; posted the NFL’s third-best winning percentage (.680); and, according to FTN, finished the regular season as the league’s best team three times, including this year.

But postseason failures have overshadowed that success; the Ravens are 3-5 overall since 2019 and have advanced to just one AFC championship game. Two of those season-ending losses came at home. In 2019, the Ravens were 10-point favorites over the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round, only to lose 28-12. Last year, they were 4.5-point favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game, only to lose 17-10. On Sunday, they were one-point favorites over the Bills.

Could the fan base’s discontent with Harbaugh force Bisciotti’s hand? Coaches are rarely fired after playoff appearances, and Bisciotti’s patience with Harbaugh has paid off in the past. In 2018, after Bisciotti acknowledged he’d considered firing Harbaugh after the Ravens failed to make the playoffs for a third straight season, the team won its first of two straight division titles. Harbaugh has also endeared himself to Bisciotti with his flexibility as a coach.

“I think John’s grown and grown and grown,” Bisciotti said in 2022. “It’s kind of interesting. I don’t feel like I’m just signing up the same guy. I think that’s really a compliment to him. I really feel like there’s a rebirth in John as the years go on. Things that mattered to him don’t matter as much anymore.”

Bisciotti is known as a hands-off owner, and Harbaugh’s partnership with general manager Eric DeCosta has been one of the NFL’s most productive. But Bisciotti turns 65 in April. Jackson is entering the prime of his career. The defense has All-Pro talent at nearly every position. If the Ravens move on from Harbaugh in the near future, their job would immediately be the NFL’s most coveted vacancy.

What will the Ravens do in free agency?

The Ravens are projected to have $23.5 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap, but not all of that will be readily available. DeCosta must set aside millions for the draft class and other future expenses, from practice squad elevations to in-season injury replacements.

The Ravens’ class of pending free agents, while notable, isn’t as deep as last year’s:

• QB Josh Johnson
• RB Owen Wright (exclusive rights)
• FB Patrick Ricard
• LT Ronnie Stanley
• G Ben Cleveland
• OL Patrick Mekari
• OL Josh Jones
• WR Nelson Agholor
• WR Tylan Wallace
• WR Steven Sims
• WR/KR/PR Deonte Harty
• DL Brent Urban
• LB Malik Harrison
• ILB Chris Board
• ILB Kristian Welch
• CB Brandon Stephens
• CB Tre’Davious White
• CB Trayvon Mullen
• CB Christian Matthew (exclusive rights)
• S Ar’Darius Washington (restricted)

Safety Marcus Williams, one of the team’s most disappointing players, was initially signed through 2026 on a five-year, $70 million deal. But, after a recent contract restructure, he’s reportedly set to be designated as a post-June 1 cut, which would create $9.9 million in cap space when free agency opens and an additional $2.1 million in savings after June 1. The Ravens would also take on a dead-money hit of $6.7 million in both 2025 and 2026.

Stanley’s place in the Ravens’ plans — and the cost of a potential extension — is unclear. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate this season after a bounce-back year in which he played 17 games for the first time in his career. Over his 575 pass-blocking snaps, Stanley allowed just two sacks protecting Jackson’s blind side, according to Pro Football Focus. But his injury history is worrisome, he turns 31 in March, and promising rookie Roger Rosengarten has experience at left tackle.

Mekari, 27, started a career-high 17 games this season and has been a valuable and versatile lineman over his six seasons in Baltimore. But Andrew Vorhees is the heir apparent at left guard, and Jones could be a cheaper alternative as a swing tackle.

Ricard, 30, has been a key piece of the Ravens’ rushing attack and expressed a desire to retire in Baltimore. The three-year deal he signed in 2022 was worth $11.3 million.

Stephens was expected to have a breakout 2024 season, one that could’ve yielded a valuable compensatory pick for the Ravens. But his struggles this season have hurt his free-agent price.

Washington, as a restricted free agent, is under team control this offseason. Depending on whether the Ravens value him enough to offer him a second-round tender, worth a projected $5.2 million in 2025, the Ravens could re-sign him with a right-of-first-refusal tender, a one-year deal that’s projected to be worth about $3.2 million. The Ravens could also match any offer sheet Washington signs with another team.

Several other pending free agents — Wallace, Urban, Harrison and Board chief among them — are solid contributors with the kind of special teams ability that Harbaugh values. Johnson, Agholor and White could also be candidates to re-sign on cheap one-year deals.

What’s next for Lamar Jackson and the offense?

The Ravens had one of the NFL’s best-ever offenses in 2024. They should have one of the NFL’s best in 2025, too.

But the attack could have a new play-caller next season. Three teams with head coaching vacancies have already requested interviews with offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who helped Jackson improve as a passer and added a new level of sophistication to the offense.

Whether Monken returns or is hired away — quarterbacks coach Tee Martin and tight ends coach George Godsey would figure to be in-house candidates — the Ravens’ offense will need to stay a step ahead of the NFL.

As former coordinator Greg Roman’s tenure in Baltimore neared its end, his offenses struggled to evolve, hurt by injuries and a lack of innovation. Over Roman’s final three seasons in Baltimore, the Ravens never ranked higher than ninth in offensive efficiency, according to FTN.

In 2025, they shouldn’t be short on playmakers. Jackson, for all his postseason problems, is one of the NFL’s greatest force multipliers. Running back Derrick Henry and wide receiver Zay Flowers were Pro Bowl picks this season. Andrews was one of the NFL’s best red-zone threats, though his performance Sunday has raised questions about his future. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman and tight end Isaiah Likely developed into reliable complementary pieces.

The Ravens’ biggest questions will again be along the offensive line, where they could lose Stanley and Mekari in free agency and could move around Rosengarten. But offensive line coach George Warhop helped stabilize the unit after arriving during training camp and should have the Ravens on solid ground entering 2025.

Can they get deals done with Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum?

The Ravens don’t often enter free agency with a lot of money to spend. They prefer to allocate significant salary cap space to homegrown standouts. And it won’t be long before Hamilton and Linderbaum are on their books with big-money deals.

Hamilton is one of the NFL’s best defensive backs, an All-Pro who wreaked havoc as a slot defender in 2023 and patched up the Ravens’ deep-ball defense in 2024. Linderbaum is a two-time Pro Bowl selection who’s started all but two games over his first three years in Baltimore. Both are low-maintenance, widely respected, versatile contributors.

Extensions won’t come cheap. Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Antoine Winfield Jr. reset the safety market in May with a four-year deal worth $21 million annually, including $45 million guaranteed. Hamilton’s extension would likely top that.

Chiefs center Creed Humphrey signed a four-year, $72 million extension in August that made him the NFL’s highest-paid player at the position. A deal for Linderbaum would likely approach, if not surpass, the average annual value of Humphrey’s deal ($18 million) and the total guaranteed money ($50.3 million).

If the Ravens pick up Hamilton and Linderbaum’s fifth-year contract options by the NFL’s May 1 deadline, both would be under contract for the next two seasons. But their projected 2026 salary cap hits — $19.6 million for Hamilton, according to Over the Cap, and $25.2 million for Linderbaum — could be too onerous for DeCosta’s liking.

How will they approach the draft?

As the rising price tag of the Ravens’ superstar contracts cuts into cap space for midlevel free-agent deals, DeCosta will need to find even more contributors on rookie contracts. That means he’ll either need a lot of draft luck or a lot of picks.

The Ravens won’t lack for opportunities in April’s draft. They have their seven original picks and are expected to receive four compensatory selections for the free-agent exodus they suffered last year: a fourth-rounder, two fifth-rounders and a sixth-rounder, according to Over the Cap.

The Ravens’ best-player-available approach to drafting and the still-growing class of prospects make forecasting the team’s draft haul difficult. But it’s fair to expect DeCosta to target multiple offensive linemen and defensive backs, a physical wide receiver, an edge rusher, an inside linebacker and perhaps a developmental quarterback.

With the Ravens’ loss Sunday, they’re No. 27 in this year’s first-round draft order. Ahead of February’s NFL scouting combine, Alabama interior offensive lineman Tyler Booker, Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr., Marshall edge rusher Mike Green and Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison are potential targets.