Ravens Pondering New Deals for Mark Andrews, Orlando Brown Jr.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — While much of the talk this offseason will center around an extension for quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Ravens will also explore new deals for several other young playmakers, namely Mark Andrews and Orlando Brown Jr.
Both Andrews and Brown play a vital role in the offense and general manager Eric DeCosta has focused on retaining the team's home-grown players.
"We want to have the best offensive line we can, and Orlando had a great year this year," DeCosta said. "We are a tight end-centric offense, and Mark Andrews, in my opinion, is one of the better tight ends in the entire NFL. He’s a Pro Bowl tight end, in my opinion. So, we would be foolish to not want to try and keep him. Those discussions will start up at some point. Hopefully, we can make progress and get some deals done.”
Both Andrews and Brown were teammates at Oklahoma and were selected by the Ravens in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Andrews took over the starting job at tiht end as a rookie and has become one of the team's most valuable payers. Last season, Andrews had a team-high 58 receptions for 701 yards with seven touchdowns. Andrews, who is eligible for free agency in 2022, will earn a base salary of $920,000 this season.
Brown moved from right tackle this past season after Ronnie Stanley went down with a season-ending ankle injury. Brown still managed to make the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive year and played a team-high 1,026 offensive snaps.
Brown Jr. will earn a base salary of $920,000 this season and is also eligible for free agency in 2022.
"We want to keep our good, young players," DeCosta said. "That’s something that as I thought about myself and being a GM, I really wanted us to try and do. We have these players. We draft them. We like them. We know them. They really fit us, and we want our fans to be able to reap the enjoyment of these players over time if we can, again, based on the parameters of the salary cap.
"So, we will continue to engage in talks with all of our good, young players, and try and sign as many guys as we can. Sometimes, you just can’t get a deal done. Sometimes, you can. It’s great when you can, but sometimes, you can’t."
