Even though the Ravens’ season is still coming to a close, team executives are already considering their future, which includes troubled tight end Mark Andrews.
Head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta praised Andrews’ commitment and mental toughness in a media appearance Wednesday after the team’s Divisional Round loss to the Bills on Sunday. Andrews’ late drop and fourth-quarter blunder have been scrutinized since the 27-25 loss.
In addition to being a fantastic football player, Mark Andrews is a really difficult guy. Harbaugh, 62, stated, “He takes it hard because he cares so much.” “All of our players adore Mark Andrews, including Eric and myself. We love and support Mark, who plays a significant role in our future. Mark Andrews is unquestionably the person who can handle such a difficult situation with decency, class, grace, and mental tenacity.
In Sunday’s must-win game in Buffalo, Andrews, 29, missed a critical pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson in the fourth quarter.
The Ravens had closed the gap to just two points after an impressive eight-play, 88-yard touchdown drive led by Jackson, 28.
However, Buffalo secured their spot in the AFC Championship against the Chiefs when Jackson’s attempt to connect with Andrews for a two-point conversion fell short, as Andrews couldn’t hold onto the ball in the freezing conditions of Western New York.
Both Jackson and Harbaugh later stood by Andrews, offering their support.
“We work as a team,” Jackson declared. “…He is not to blame. We will not subject Mark to it.
The Ravens “wouldn’t be here without Mark Andrews,” Harbaugh said, repeating that statement during Wednesday’s meeting.
“One of my messages to him was that without Mark’s contributions, we wouldn’t be where we are now in the season or in the game,” the veteran Ravens coach stated on Wednesday.
In the fourth quarter of the Divisional Round defeat, Mark Andrews also made a mistake.
AP
Three years after the team picked him with the 86th overall choice in the 2018 NFL Draft, Andrews signed a four-year, $56 million deal in 2021, which he is now entering its last year.
The general manager stated that the team will “have some decisions to make” because other tight ends are also approaching the last year of their contracts, even though DeCosta did not disclose his conversations with Andrews during Wednesday’s press conference.
Andrews has had a difficult few days, and Bills Mafia has offered its support. Andrews did not address the media following Sunday’s game.
In light of Andrews’ own illness, Buffalo supporters have created a GoFundMe page to gather money for Breakthrough T1D, a non-profit dedicated to discovering a cure for Type 1 diabetes.
