At the NFL scouting combine last month, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was asked about Mark Andrews. The tight end’s future in Baltimore was less certain then than it is now, fueled by trade speculation as Andrews entered the final year of his contract, so DeCosta had to strike a delicate balance. He spoke adoringly but elliptically, as if he were putting Andrews on the NFL’s auction block with a sign that read: “Serious bidders only.”

“Mark is going to go down as one of our great players,” DeCosta said. “He’ll be in the 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."

With Andrews now collecting a $4 million roster bonus, owed on the fifth day of the league year, his next season seems likely to be played in Baltimore. Andrews has a salary cap hit of $16.9 million in 2025, third-highest on the team, and trading him would create just $7 million in space. That’s not much relief for a 29-year-old who is still one the league’s best tight ends, one of the Ravens’ hardest workers and one of quarterback Lamar Jackson’s most trusted targets.

Analytical models and box scores can’t account for fan satisfaction, though, and Andrews’ Q Score might be at a career low in Baltimore. In the Ravens’ season-ending playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, Andrews lost a fumble in the fourth quarter and dropped the would-be game-tying 2-point conversion in the final minute. Over his eight-game playoff career, Andrews has just 29 catches for 315 yards.

So what, exactly, are the Ravens — or any potential trade partners — getting in Andrews? Let’s take a look.

Easy separation

Andrews had a solid if unspectacular 2024 season, finishing with 55 catches on 69 targets for 673 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns. But that production seemed to reflect the depth of the Ravens’ receiving corps more than it did a diminished skill set. Because Andrews can still get open.

According to ESPN’s receiver tracking metrics, Andrews finished first among tight ends in “open score,” a metric that measures a receiver’s ability to get open on every route relative to expectations. According to Fantasy Points, he led all qualifying tight ends in the site’s “average separation score,” which accounts for factors such as down and distance and the defense’s coverage.

Against man-to-man looks, Andrews can run away from safeties and linebackers on his trademark deep crossers, or he can use the threat of the route to create throwing windows near the sideline. Against zone looks, he can find soft spots in the defense and present an open target to Jackson. He victimized standout defenders at every position, from Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David to Bills slot cornerback Taron Johnson to Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

While Andrews has long been one of the NFL’s best slot weapons, the Ravens have also asked him at times to win as an isolated receiver on one side of the formation, a rare privilege for a tight end. Last season, according to Sports Info Solutions, Andrews had 11 catches on 15 targets for 182 yards in those alignments — not far behind Pro Bowl wide receiver Zay Flowers’ production as an isolated target (16 catches on 23 targets for 240 yards).

‘Streetball’ success

One of the most cited arguments against keeping Andrews is Jackson’s 8-0 career record without him. But Jackson has not become a demonstrably better quarterback in Andrews-less offenses. His accuracy has dipped slightly, his yards per game have risen slightly, and his passer rating has remained relatively stable: 103.6 without Andrews, 101.8 with Andrews.

Perhaps the biggest irony of Andrews’ decisive drop against Buffalo was that it came in the area of the field where his chemistry with Jackson has been most apparent. Andrews has an NFL-high 22 red-zone touchdowns over the past three seasons, according to TruMedia. Jackson threw every one of them.

Even with the development of tight end Isaiah Likely, who had a career-high 42 catches for 477 yards and six touchdowns last season, Andrews was Jackson’s top red-zone target in 2024. He finished with more red-zone routes than Likely (53 to 48), more red-zone targets (15 to 13), more red-zone catches (13 to eight) and more red-zone touchdowns (11 to five).

Jackson’s intuitive “streetball” connection with Andrews is never more apparent than in those close quarters and in scramble situations, where Andrews can lead Jackson to open patches of grass.

Right player, right price?

When Andrews earned All-Pro honors in 2021, finishing with a career-high 1,361 receiving yards, he was not only by far the Ravens’ best tight end but also by far their best receiver. Now his value is trickier to capture — partly because the Ravens have upgraded their wide receiver room, and partly because they’ve upgraded their tight end room, too.

Flowers has emerged as Jackson’s top target over the past two seasons. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman is one of the NFL’s best route runners. New free-agent signing DeAndre Hopkins should be durable and reliable out wide. Likely is a versatile playmaker. Charlie Kolar is the Ravens’ top in-line blocker among their tight ends. And fullback Patrick Ricard is a unique weapon in offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s run game and play-action attack.

All of which has left Andrews with a lighter workload. In 2021, he played over 70% of the offensive snaps in 12 of his 17 games. Last season, he played over 70% of the snaps in just six of his 17 games. (Andrews’ recovery from a mid-August car crash seemed to limit him early in the season, as he caught just six passes in a reduced role in September.)

Andrews’ efficiency last season wasn’t an issue; he finished sixth among qualifying tight ends in yards per route run (1.89), according to TruMedia, well ahead of Likely (1.56). But Andrews’ price tag did stand out. Other pricey veterans like the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and the San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle took the field much more often.

With Andrews, Likely, Kolar and Ricard all entering the final year of their respective contracts, the Ravens have decisions to make at the position. There are snaps to divvy up and futures to consider. A more active role likely awaits the team’s starter in 2026.

Playoff problems

Andrews’ surprising playoff resume is perhaps best underscored by the odd circumstances of his best game: a five-catch, 73-yard performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in a 2022 wild-card-round loss … with Tyler Huntley at quarterback.

Untimely drops have otherwise marred Andrews’ postseason career. But bad luck has been a factor, too.

In 2019, Andrews was playing through an ankle injury so painful that, days after the top-seeded Ravens’ stunning divisional-round loss to the Tennessee Titans, he could barely keep up with his brother as they walked around the airport.

In 2020, Andrews was targeted 11 times in the Ravens' divisional-round loss to the Bills — but just five were catchable, according to SIS. He finished with four catches for 28 yards.

In 2023, Andrews was far along enough in his recovery from ankle surgery to return for the Ravens’ AFC championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but not healthy enough to earn more than 18 offensive snaps. He ran just 11 routes and caught two passes for 15 yards in the loss.

Last season, Andrews had a quiet game in the Ravens’ wild-card-round win over the Steelers, then the nightmarish ending a week later in snowy Orchard Park, New York. But there were positive signs there, too, as he finished with five catches for 61 yards against Buffalo and averaged an impressive 2.7 yards per route run.

After the loss, Andrews did not speak to reporters. But Jackson, who’s had to reckon with his own disappointing postseason history, said the loss “ain’t his fault.” Jackson blamed himself for two costly turnovers and said Andrews had been “busting his behind” to make plays.

“It’s a team effort,” Jackson added. “We’re not going to put that on Mark, because he’s been battling all season. He’s been doing all the great things he’s been doing all season. It doesn’t always go our way. We want it to, but at the moment in time, it’s not going our way. We need to figure it out.”

They should get another chance in 2025. Jackson has already started to change the narrative around his playoff bona fides. Will Andrews be next? Once again, their postseason fate could be in each other’s hands.