Takeaways From the Liars

Yesterday the Ravens hosted their annual Pre-Draft Luncheon (aka the Liar’s Luncheon) and to no one’s surprise, there was little in the way of headline news revelations. That said, there were a few topics discussed that raised an eyebrow or two but let’s keep in mind, that GM Eric DeCosta has become a master manipulator of the media, the intent of which is to distract – to not reveal his cards too soon but at the same time, project interest, real or otherwise.

With this in mind, I’ll share a couple of interesting questions from the luncheon, with Eric’s and/or John Harbaugh’s responses, followed by my take on the comments.

Eric, we asked John about this at the owners’ meetings, but you have made trades before with veteran players during the Draft. There has been a lot of speculation about TE Mark Andrews’ future in Baltimore? Do you fully expect him to remain with the team? Is he a big part of what you plan on doing this year? (Jeff Zrebiec)

(DeCOSTA) “I never know what’s going to happen, and I would never want to say this or that, but I can tell you this. Mark Andrews is a warrior, and he’s played his butt off for us, and his competitiveness, his talent, his attitude [and] his leadership is so valued here. He’s a great player, and we’re in the business of keeping as many great players as we can, so there’s always a lot of unpredictability with the Draft. You just never know. I don’t think we’ve traded many of our own players. Have we ever made a trade during the Draft where we traded one of our players?”

(REPORTER) “What about Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown?”

(DeCOSTA) “That wasn’t during the Draft. Well, I had done that trade before the Draft. You guys didn’t know about it. I did that on Monday, actually, the Monday [before] the Draft.”

(HARBAUGH) “I knew that was coming.” (laughter)

(DeCOSTA) “Yes, that wasn’t actually during the Draft. That was announced during the Draft. That was strategic though. We didn’t want to announce it beforehand just in case, because then a team might think we would want a receiver, so we kept it as quiet as we could, but I don’t think we’ve ever traded one of our players. We’ve traded for players during the Draft. I know we [traded for] Kevin Johnson way back when for a fourth-round pick, but I don’t know that we’ve ever traded one of our own players.”

MY TAKE: Andrews is in play to be traded for the right price. This draft is deep with quality tight end prospects but if a TE-needy team fails to get their guy (the Chargers come to mind), I could see the Ravens moving on from Lamar Jackson’s go-to guy. Andrews has just one year left on his contract and with Isaiah Likely on deck and Charlie Kolar in the hole, this wouldn’t be the first time the Ravens moved on from a great tight end one year too early instead of one year too late. Remember Todd Heap?

A couple of things to consider when evaluating the “right price” for Andrews. First, the Ravens are in line for a 4th-round 2027 comp pick if Andrews signs elsewhere in 2026. So a 4th in 2025 might be EDC’s floor for moving Andrews during or shortly after the 2025 NFL Draft. And there’s one more thing…

The Ravens were scheduled to pay Andrews a $4M roster bonus days after the new league year began on March 12. What if EDC privately negotiated with Andrews and his agent to delay the payment until after the 2025 NFL Draft in exchange for some concessions to Andrews? That would give the team a little bit of flexibility and bargaining power if they find a suitor to Andrews liking. If not, the team pays the bonus and Mark returns to the field at M&T Bank this Fall.

Keep in mind, that EDC pulled off the clandestine trade prior to the 2022 draft that sent Marquise Brown to the Cardinals. Might similar gamesmanship be in play as it relates to Mark Andrews?

Eric, you said you had a lot of balls in the air. The fifth-year option deadline is coming. You have two prominent players with that. Have you made a decision on that front? (Jeff Zrebiec)

(DeCOSTA) “There’s really no updates on that front. I think the last couple of years I’ve waited to announce that and handle that, and I think that’s going to be the case again this year.”

MY TAKE: This was an intentionally brief response and it’s no surprise that the luncheon and lying ended.The deadline for exercising the 5th-year option to first-round picks from 2022 is May 1st. The Ravens have two candidates for that option, Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum. Hamilton is a lock to receive the option, but Linderbaum is a different story.

The former Iowa Hawkeye is deserving of an extension, and it would be a surprise to see him in anything but a Ravens uniform for the foreseeable future. But…

The price to exercise Linderbaum’s option is $23.4M while Hamilton’s is $18.6M. Coincidentally, the current franchise tag for offensive linemen is also $23.4M. Consequently, there’s no incentive for the Ravens to exercise Linderbaum’s fifth-year option. Even if the 2026 franchise tag goes up by $2M as it did from 2024 to 2025, the team would be wise to wait until the 2025 season concludes as it relates to their two-time Pro Bowl center. They’ll have the benefit of:

• Another season of observing Linderbaum’s development
• In the event of injury, the team would not be on the hook for the fifth-year option
• The franchise tag provides another level of insurance and a bargaining chip while trying to reach a more cap-friendly long-term extension.

Many fans might be upset if EDC opts to not exercise a fifth-year option on the team’s outstanding center. But considering all things, without an extension, it’s the wiser path to take as it relates to Linderbaum.

[Related Article: Ravens Lead the NFL in “Moody Fans”]

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