Ravens Star Survives Another Round of Trade Rumors

Trade rumors have followed Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews like a bad smell for the better part of a year now. He'd struggled with inconsistencies over his accomplished seven-year stint with the franchise, but whispers really hiked up at the start of 2025.

His crushing drop in the Ravens' Divisional Round loss to the Buffalo Bills sent the Baltimore fan base spiraling into a combination of frustration and betrayal, with many loyal Ravens viewers pitching the idea that it was time for the 3x Pro Bowler to embark upon a fresh start somewhere else after years of playoff disappointments.

Another slow start to 2025 didn't seem to help matters, as despite the occasional weeks of multi-touchdown games, he remained one of the most popular names in discussions surrounding the midseason trade deadline. But that long-open window has now closed, and Andrews remains in the purple and black.

To Trade, or Hold The Line?

It's not as if the Ravens just sat on their hands all deadline, or forgot to make any moves; even after stringing together back-to-back wins for the first time all fall, they still sit at 3-5, far from the comfortable position they're usually occupying by this point in the season. Injuries and uncoordinated play have played bigger roles in their first nine weeks than just about anyone anticipated, which encouraged numerous fans to start scanning the rest of the NFL for roster support.

Starting-level tight ends remain a commodity, and Andrews certainly had some value to offer. He's lagging behind his career averages in yards per game (28.8) and total yards with 230 through eight games, and though some of those slips can be directly attributed to his recently crossing the 30-year threshold, he's not the load-bearing pass-catcher he once was.

Lamar Jackson's favorite target saw his production fall off of a cliff when the quarterback spent a month away from his usual starting duties, rehabbing from a hamstring injury. Backups Cooper Rush and Tyler Huntley split starting responsibilities between three games, and Huntley eventually brought the team back into the win column, even if he didn't keep Andrews as well-fed as Jackson once did.