We might very well look back a few years from now and wonder, how in the world, the Baltimore Ravens were able to accumulate so much dang talent in 1 tight ends room.
Not only do the Ravens have one of the NFL’s very best veteran tight ends in Mark Andrews, who just signed a 3-year, $39 million free agent extension, but they have arguably the No. 1 free agent at the position in the 2026 cycle with Isaiah Likely.
They also might have another star waiting in the wings in little-used Charlie Kolar, a 6-foot-6, 265-pound former 4th round pick who ESPN called the NFL’s top “sleeper free agent” option.
From ESPN: “The Y tight end market is en vogue. Kolar is a top option in that equation this year. He can block and catch.”
Kolar Took Backseat to Andrews & Likely
The abundance of tight end talent on the Ravens the last few years has certainly hurt Kolar’s value in free agency, but if he ends up a TE1 on another team he could end up being one of the great value signings of this cycle.
When Kolar has had his opportunities he seems to have made the most of them, including career highs in games (17), starts (7), receptions (10), receiving yards (142) and touchdowns (2) in 2025. He also played a career high 404 snaps on offense — 40 percent of his team’s total offensive plays.
The value doesn’t stop there. Kolar has been just as willing to get his hands dirty on special teams, where he was on the field for 78 percent of Baltimore’s special teams snaps in 2025 and has been over the 60 percent mark each of the last 3 seasons — which included another career high 293 special teams snaps in 2025.
Ravens Have Great Chance to Bring Back Kolar
With Likely almost certainly headed elsewhere in free agency in order to get a chance as a TE1 somewhere else, there’s a really good chance the Ravens could bring back Kolar, who only has a projected market value of a 1-year, $1.6 million contract from Spotrac.
If that’s truly Kolar’s value on the open market, then it seems like a no-brainer for the Ravens to bring him back for another year.
That’s if other teams don’t get to him first.
“A TE I’d love for Detroit: Charlie Kolar,” Detroit Lions Fan Page wrote on its official X account. “Excellent in-line blocker, strong hands, 6’6, 265. He’s a perfect fit as a reliable Y tight end.”
“With Houston bringing in James Ferentz as tight end coach, expect a TE addition with some blocking ability,” NFL reporter Jayson Braddock wrote on X. “A guy to keep an eye on in Free Agency: Charlie Kolar.”
“The Denver Broncos head into 2026 free agency needing a lot of help at the tight end position,” Mile High Report’s Tim Lynch wrote on Saturday. “Evan Engram is still under contract and theoretically a pass-catching threat, but with Adam Trautman leaving for free agency, there is a need at the position for someone who can actually block in the run game. Charlie Kolar, a backup tight end for the Baltimore Ravens, stands out as an affordable option with the size and physicality to fill a role Denver desperately needs.”
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