Mark Andrews and the Baltimore Ravens enter a pivotal stretch of the 2026 NFL offseason as the tight end position commands unusual attention across the league’s free agency market. The legal negotiating period opened Monday at noon ET, reshaping the positional landscape around one of the NFL’s most productive receiving tight ends. Rival clubs are circling available options, and Baltimore’s long-term calculus at the position grows more complicated by the hour.
The broader tight end market carries direct implications for Andrews and Baltimore. Isaiah Likely — Andrews’ backup and primary heir apparent on the Ravens’ depth chart — is among the top unrestricted free agents available this cycle. How aggressively competing teams pursue Likely will tell the Ravens front office brass a great deal about the market value assigned to their own franchise cornerstone.
How the 2026 Tight End Market Reshapes Baltimore’s Roster Strategy
Baltimore’s tight end depth chart faces a genuine fork. Likely’s departure as a free agent would leave Mark Andrews as the unquestioned TE1 with no proven backup — a roster construction risk that Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has historically worked to avoid. Teams that lose their backup tight end to free agency without replacing him typically see their starter’s snap count climb past 85 percent, elevating both injury exposure and defensive attention.
The New England Patriots, operating under head coach Mike Vrabel, are among the franchises actively weighing a significant financial commitment at tight end this offseason. Vrabel’s staff has identified Likely and Tennessee Titans free agent Chig Okonkwo as premier targets. New England’s willingness to spend at the position — rather than lean on the draft class Vrabel himself acknowledged as deep — signals that the market for quality tight ends will be competitive and expensive before the week concludes.
For Andrews, who turns 30 during the 2026 season, the offseason context carries weight beyond simple roster management. His 2024 advanced metrics showed elite target share in Baltimore’s 12-personnel groupings. He consistently generated positive expected points added on play-action routes over the middle. His contract structure, signed through the mid-2020s, has kept his cap hit manageable relative to his production — a salary cap efficiency the Ravens have built their offense around for half a decade.
What Mark Andrews’ Role Looks Like Without Isaiah Likely
Mark Andrews operating as Baltimore’s sole proven tight end option would represent a meaningful shift in offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s personnel deployment. Monken has leaned on two-tight-end sets to create favorable matchups. Likely’s athleticism serves as a complementary piece that prevents defenses from single-covering Andrews with a linebacker. Lose that chess piece, and defensive coordinators gain a simpler assignment.
The restricted free agent tender structure adds another wrinkle to Baltimore’s planning. Tender values have spiked considerably this cycle — the first-round tender sits at $8.04 million, the second-round tender at $5.76 million, and the right-of-first-refusal tender at $3.52 million. Those elevated figures are pushing teams toward multi-year extensions rather than the traditional tender-and-wait approach. Offensive lineman Ben Brown and quarterback Tommy DeVito have already agreed to extensions rather than testing unrestricted free agency in 2027. The Ravens will weigh similar arithmetic for players on the roster bubble.
One counterargument worth considering: Baltimore has shown a consistent willingness to develop tight end depth through the draft rather than the open market. If Likely departs, DeCosta may opt for a cost-controlled rookie rather than absorbing a market-rate free agent contract that competes with Andrews’ own cap allocation. The 2026 draft class at tight end, by Vrabel’s own assessment, offers genuine depth — a factor that could suppress veteran free agent prices if enough teams share that view.
Key Developments in the Ravens’ Tight End Situation
Isaiah Likely is drawing interest from multiple franchises, including the Patriots, as the negotiating window opens — making him one of the most pursued tight ends on the market.
The first-round restricted free agent tender reached $8.04 million this cycle, a spike that is accelerating extension talks league-wide and compressing the window for teams to retain depth players.
Chig Okonkwo of the Tennessee Titans is also on the Patriots’ radar, meaning Baltimore could face a bidding environment where multiple suitors drive up the cost of retaining Likely.
Cornerback Alex Austin is among the players league-wide not receiving a tender this cycle, illustrating how elevated tender costs are forcing front offices to make harder cuts at non-premium positions.
Mike Vrabel’s Patriots explicitly flagged this draft class’s tight end depth as a factor in personnel planning — a signal that at least one AFC contender views the draft as a viable alternative to paying top free agent prices.
The Ravens’ next move at tight end will define the offensive infrastructure around Andrews for at least the next two seasons. Baltimore enters the offseason with enough salary cap flexibility to compete for a veteran replacement if Likely signs elsewhere. Spending aggressively at the position, though, would constrain resources needed at cornerback and along the offensive line — two areas where the roster carries its own uncertainty.
Andrews himself figures to remain a foundational piece regardless of how the depth chart reshapes. His red zone efficiency, built on a rare combination of size, route precision, and catch radius, makes him one of the most difficult players in the NFL to replicate at any price. Few tight ends in the league generate comparable yards after the catch on crossing routes while maintaining that level of contested-catch reliability near the end zone.
The film shows that Andrews’ production does not depend on a specific supporting cast. He has generated elite numbers with varying quarterback situations in Baltimore. What a thinned tight end room would change is the defensive attention he draws. Without Likely as a credible second option, opposing defensive coordinators can bracket Andrews more aggressively — committing a safety to his side of the formation on early downs. That adjustment would place a heavier burden on Baltimore’s wide receiver corps and Monken’s play-calling creativity. The salary cap implications of building around Mark Andrews without adequate depth represent one of the more underappreciated roster construction challenges the Ravens face this spring.
Is Mark Andrews still on the Baltimore Ravens in 2026?
Mark Andrews remains under contract with the Baltimore Ravens entering the 2026 offseason. His deal has kept his annual cap hit below the market rate for elite tight ends, giving Baltimore’s front office room to address other roster needs while retaining their primary receiving option at the position.
Who are the top tight ends available in 2026 NFL free agency?
Isaiah Likely of the Baltimore Ravens and Chig Okonkwo of the Tennessee Titans rank among the premier tight ends available in the 2026 free agent market, with the New England Patriots identified as an aggressive suitor for both players as the legal negotiating period opened Monday.
What is the 2026 restricted free agent tender amount for first-round picks?
The first-round restricted free agent tender is set at $8.04 million for the 2026 cycle. The second-round tender stands at $5.76 million and the right-of-first-refusal tender at $3.52 million — figures that are pushing teams toward multi-year extensions rather than one-year tender arrangements.
How does Isaiah Likely’s free agency affect Mark Andrews’ fantasy football value?
If Likely departs Baltimore, Andrews would absorb a larger target share in two-tight-end sets, potentially increasing his red zone volume and overall snap count. Without a credible second tight end, though, defenses can bracket Andrews more aggressively, which historically suppresses yards-per-route-run for even elite tight ends facing bracket coverage.
What is the Patriots’ plan at tight end in the 2026 offseason?
New England head coach Mike Vrabel has flagged tight end as a potential priority for significant financial investment, with Likely and Okonkwo as named targets. Vrabel also acknowledged the depth of the 2026 draft class at the position, suggesting the Patriots are weighing both free agency and the draft as viable paths forward.
Marcus Cole is a former college quarterback who has spent over 12 years covering the NFL as a sportswriter. After playing four seasons at the collegiate level, he transitioned to journalism and quickly earned a reputation for breaking down complex play designs in plain English. His work has been featured in regional sports publications across the South, and he has covered six Super Bowls from the press box. Marcus specializes in offensive scheme analysis, quarterback evaluations, and draft coverage.
