Subscribe
Follow Us
Every year, NFL teams enter training camp with high hopes and difficult decisions. For the Baltimore Ravens, 2025 is no different. Despite boasting one of the most balanced and star-studded rosters in the league, Baltimore also faces an increasingly unavoidable question: What should they do with tight end Mark Andrews?
It’s not a knock on Andrews’ talent, resume, or effort. He’s been a cornerstone of the offense for seven seasons. He has been a security blanket for Lamar Jackson and a perennial Pro Bowl presence. However, as the Ravens sharpen their roster for a title run, all signs are pointing to a transition at tight end. As such, Andrews potentially becomes the most obvious trade candidate entering 2025 training camp.
A Quiet Offseason, but a Smart One
The Ravens weren’t flashy this offseason, but general manager Eric DeCosta made smart, targeted moves to keep the team in contention.
Yes, they lost versatile lineman Patrick Mekari. That said, the Ravens retained left tackle Ronnie Stanley and extended Derrick Henry. With Henry under contract through 2027, Baltimore’s run game remains a force.
In the passing game, the team added DeAndre Hopkins on a one-year, $5 million deal. He offers reliable hands and route-running that should fit better alongside Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman. With tight end Isaiah Likely, Jackson has one of the NFL’s most balanced supporting casts.
Defensively, Baltimore got younger and faster. First-round safety Malaki Starks joins Kyle Hamilton to form a potentially elite duo. Edge rusher Mike Green brings upside off the edge.
Baltimore’s offseason wasn’t about splashy signings. It was about building on what works. With minimal holes on either side of the ball, the Ravens head into training camp as a true Super Bowl contender.
Here we'll try to look at the obvious Baltimore Ravens trade candidate entering the 2025 NFL training camp.
The Mark Andrews Question
And yet, amid all that good news, the situation with Andrews looms.
There has been no shortage of trade speculation involving the 29-year-old tight end for some time now. Even before the 2025 NFL Draft, DeCosta was cryptic when asked directly about Andrews’ future.
“We have a lot of different balls in the air right now,” DeCosta said.
Article Continues Below
He neither denied nor confirmed anything. Still, the message was clear: the Ravens are open to anything that could make the team better.
That window of opportunity hasn’t closed. For Andrews, it might be narrowing in Baltimore.
He remains productive, but he’s also expensive, aging, and entering the final year of a four-year, $56 million deal. That makes him an extremely intriguing trade chip. The Ravens also have a natural heir in Likely, who many believe is ready to assume the TE1 mantle.
Likely has the kind of athleticism that modern offenses crave. He can stretch the field vertically and improvise alongside Jackson when plays break down. He’s younger, more explosive, and increasingly favored in crunch-time reads.
Letting Andrews go wouldn’t be easy, though. He has been something of an icon for the franchise. However, the Ravens have to think long-term. That means getting ahead of future salary-cap complications. It’s also worth noting that Likely is set to become a free agent after the 2025 season. If Baltimore plans to build around him moving forward, it must start by giving him the full-time role now.
One Last Misstep
Of course, it’s impossible to talk about Andrews’ current situation without mentioning the brutal playoff moment that may have accelerated this transition. In last year’s Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills, the Ravens were seconds away from a game-tying two-point conversion. Jackson bought time, fired a strike, and the ball infamously slipped through Andrews’ hands.
The drop wasn’t just costly. It was defining. For a player who had long been reliable in high-stakes moments, it was a rare and painful lapse. It cast a shadow over what was otherwise a strong season and fueled offseason doubt that hasn’t gone away.
Andrews, to his credit, has been reflective and committed. By all accounts, he’s ready to redeem himself. Still, the reality is this: Baltimore doesn’t need him to do that anymore.
A Logical, If Painful, Next Step
There would be no shortage of suitors for a tight end of Andrews’ caliber. Teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, and Seattle Seahawks are all looking to add veteran pass-catching help at tight end. Any of them could easily justify a trade package.
Baltimore is in win-now mode but also building for the next phase. Keeping both Andrews and Likely long-term is improbable. Trading Andrews now could net a valuable Day 2 pick and create more cap flexibility for looming extensions.
Andrews’ legacy in Baltimore is secure. But as the Ravens prepare for a Super Bowl push, it’s clear: the team’s future at tight end belongs to Isaiah Likely — and Mark Andrews might be the most obvious trade candidate in the NFL heading into 2025 camp.
