The Baltimore Ravens 2024 season ended in rather painful fashion, with star tight end Mark Andrews failing to corral a 2-point conversion pass from Lamar Jackson that would’ve tied the game and likely forced overtime in Buffalo.
Despite there being well over a minute left when the Ravens attempted the conversion, Andrews has since shouldered a lot of blame for Baltimore coming up short against the Bills.
While head coach John Harbaugh had spoken to the media shortly thereafter, saying “Mark is a huge part of our future,” that sentiment might have taken a shift based on general manager Eric DeCosta’s comments on Tuesday:
“I think Mark is a great player,” DeCosta stated. “We’re blessed to have three really good tight ends [Andrews, Isaiah Likely, Charlie Kolar] under contract this year … I mean, Mark’s gonna go down as one of our great players, he’ll be in the ring of honor some day. I love having Mark on the team, he’s an awesome player, I know he’s gonna have an amazing season.”
“We’ll figure out all the roster machinations over the coming weeks,” DeCosta continued. “But I can tell you there’s no bigger fan of Mark Andrews than me.”
There’s a decent amount to read into all of that, particularly the mention of “roster machinations.”
Given that DeCosta appeared to discuss the topic of Andrews in a pretty measured and delicate way throughout, his overall comments sparked a mix of emotions across social media.
But essentially, many viewed it as the Ravens GM bidding a fond farewell to the popular tight end without actually saying it.
“While he didn’t outright say it, it felt like Eric DeCosta gave an appreciative farewell to Mark Andrews. He may have played his last game in Baltimore,” Sarah Ellison posted to X.
“Eric DeCosta looks very calculated with the thing he’s saying about Mark Andrews. It feels a little bit like a goodbye message,” posted another.
And another user on X, clearly sensing a forthcoming trade of Andrews, let his blunt opinion be known: “Trading Mark Andrews would be the dumbest thing we’ve since trading [Anquan] Bolden.”
Whatever ends up happening with Andrews, it’s kind of understandable to see Ravens fans reacting like his departure more or less feels like a foregone conclusion after watching DeCosta appear to be so careful with each passing word.
It’s worth noting that Andrews has just one year remaining on his contract, with a cap hit of $16.9 million, by far the priciest presence in Baltimore’s tight end room.
