Why Mark Andrews Is Worth His Contract Extension
Even though Mark Andrews will turn 31 at the start of the 2026 season, The Baltimore Banner’s Kyle Goon applauded the Ravens’ decision to sign the three-time Pro Bowl tight end to a three-year contract extension.
“There are players you count on for production and some you count on to set an example and build culture,” Goon wrote. “Mark Andrews is both. Although he is not on the ‘Mount Rushmore’ of Ravens history — you’ll have a hard time moving Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Jonathan Ogden and, eventually, Lamar Jackson out of that top four — Andrews is (by definition) a franchise great. Whatever hope Baltimore has of making the postseason this year, he’s a driving force in the effort.”
Goon said Andrews has shown again this season why he is so valuable.
“In a year in which the whole passing offense is out of whack, it’s distorting to look at Andrews’ decline in receiving yards and receptions and decide he is washed up,” Goon wrote. “He’s second on the team in receiving yards, second in receptions (with 19 more than next-closest Isaiah Likely) and, unlike leading receiver Zay Flowers, Andrews has a knack for finding the end zone (16 touchdowns in the past two seasons).
“It defies good sense that the Ravens, who are struggling in the red zone this year more than any other in recent memory, should let their best scoring target hit the bricks. His end-zone chemistry with Lamar Jackson is the fuel this offense has been running on — through different coordinators and teammates — since he splashed into the NFL as a third-round pick.”
Goon noted that Andrews’ professionalism and dedication also make him special.
“If we were talking only about what Andrews does on the field, maybe it wouldn’t be worth making him one of the NFL’s top-paid tight ends. But his work ethic is hard to beat,” Goon wrote. “Andrews’ intensity sets a tone in practice almost to a fault — he sometimes seems as mad at a bad drive on the practice field as on Sundays. In workouts, you don’t catch him skipping sets.”