After catching 11 touchdowns in 2024, some analysts believe Mark Andrews could still be entering a make-or-break season with the Ravens.
When Mark Andrews began the 2024 season by going scoreless through the first five games of the season, many wondered if the standout tight end was about to experience a major regression at age 29. However, once he found the end zone for the first time, Andrews turned into a snowball that just kept on rolling through the final game of the season.
Andrews finished the 2024 season with a career-high 11 touchdowns, including scoring in each of the team’s final six regular season games. At the same time, his 673 receiving yards were the third-lowest in his career and the lowest mark when starting a minimum of 10 games.
The drop in the playoff loss to the Bills was unfortunately the lasting image in the minds of the fan base heading into the offseason and it eventually led to an offseason that held questions of Andrews’ future in Baltimore. Trade rumors were sparked and made headlines at one point but nothing tangible came from them in the end.
Now, as mandatory minicamp gets underway, analysts are still debating Andrews and his future. That’s why he was named as one of 17 players considered to be entering a make-or-break season in 2025 by NFL.com’s Nick Shook.
Here’s what Shook had to say:
“With Andrews entering the final year of his contract after surviving an offseason of uncertainty, now is the time for the 29-year-old to give the team overwhelming evidence that it should retain him beyond 2025. From a roster-building perspective, it might make more sense for Baltimore to invest in younger TE Isaiah Likely, whom head coach John Harbaugh is expecting big things from in 2025. But Andrews has held an important place in this era of Ravens football. A monster season — capped, perhaps, by some clutch postseason plays a year after his meltdown contributed to the team’s playoff exit — would help his cause. A strong campaign will fetch quality offers elsewhere, too, but if Andrews wants to spend his entire career in Baltimore, he could make that a reality by crushing it in 2025.”
So maybe I’m of the minority here but I don’t think Andrews’ 2024 season was anywhere near as bad, as a whole, as analysts are trying to make it seem. His yardage/touchdown combination was just fine for a good tight end playing in an offense that runs through it’s elite dual-threat quarterback in Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, arguably the best running back of the past half a decade. As long as Henry is on this team, the Ravens should be more than happy with seasons just like Andrews’ 2024.
When it comes down to it, do not agree that this is a make-or-break season. I don’t know what the Ravens think they could get out of Likely that Andrews is not already giving them and the idea that he’d be trade bait once again a year from now doesn’t sit well with me. Elite tight ends do NOT grow on trees and the Ravens would be wise to understand that instead of moving on from a guy who hasn’t truly shown any signs of slowing down even as he nears 30-years old.