I’ve already mentally prepared myself for the inevitability that Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is probably trade bait. The former Sooner’s days in Baltimore are probably numbered, as he most “Likely” gets moved on draft day.
I’m already on record saying how I feel about trading an all-pro caliber tight end in his prime, but I feel it’s important to circle back to why this situation bothers me so much.
Yes, he went to my alma mater, but there’s more to it than that! Andrews has been getting dragged on social media for three months now. This is much worse than when Lee Evans and Billy Cundiff blew the AFC Championship in 2012. With how much bigger platforms like Twitter are, everywhere you look, whenever the Ravens last playoff run comes up, you see someone taking our tight end to task.
Headlines like this certainly don’t do much to quell the Andrews trade talk.
Eric DeCosta is a smart man. He managed to keep Hollywood Brown’s trade request quiet a few years back, and that turned into pro bowl center Tyler Linderbaum. We all knew that Hollywood had his moments of displeasure in Baltimore, but I don’t recall anyone thinking he wanted out.
This Andrews situation feels much more sticky. A key difference here is that the GM might actually be the one who wants him dealt, not the player.
This is not a year where the Ravens are strapped for draft picks. They have 11. Shipping off Andrews for a day three pick as nothing but a mere salary dump would be poor form, and would be a move that the Ravens regret.
Are we really all ready to hand the keys to Isaiah Likely? I don’t think I am.
