Clock is ticking for Ravens to lock up key offensive weapon and it could become quite costly if they decide to wait
Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely is an essential offensive piece for the Ravens entering 2025. Players like Likely aren’t necessarily the face of a unit, but when the going gets tough and opposing defenses commit to take away teammates like Derrick Henry or Zay Flowers, Likely is the kind of counterpunch who has the […]
Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely is an essential offensive piece for the Ravens entering 2025. Players like Likely aren’t necessarily the face of a unit, but when the going gets tough and opposing defenses commit to take away teammates like Derrick Henry or Zay Flowers, Likely is the kind of counterpunch who has the chance to shine the brightest. He did in 2024 and now, as Likely enters into the final year of his rookie contract, the focus shifts from how valuable he is on the field to how he should be valued to stay on it for the Ravens.
Likely, who recently appeared on ‘Up & Adams’ with Kay Adams, is saying the right things with what could be the beginning of the next pivotal chapter of his NFL career. And the good news for Baltimore is that Likely is loving his time in Baltimore thus far despite not being the featured face of a passing game.
“The Flock knows that I love them. I love being here. I love being a Raven. You know, I don’t try to think about last year (of my contract), I let my agent take care of that with the Ravens front office. I just try to go out there and ball.”
Likely certainly balled out in 2024. He was one of the ky figures in Baltimore’s ability to dictate matchups all over the field. And his presence as the second tight end alongside Mark Andrews helped allow the Ravens to boast one of the most formidable two-tight end groupings the NFL has seen this millennium.
The decision looming around Likely feels like an obvious one when considering where Mark Andrews is at in his own career. Andrews turns 30-years old in September and, despite posting a career-high in touchdown receptions, averaged his fewest receiving yards per game since his rookie season. Andrews is entering into the final year of his current contract with Baltimore, too.
If the Ravens are going to choose between the two members of their monster two-headed tight end attack, the younger talent is the right commitment to make. Likely just turned 25 in April, is a more prolific athlete and would seem to be more of a wise use of resources, especially considering you may be able to get him for a competitive bargain if the team can agree to a contract extension ahead of another prolific season in 2025.
Tight end contracts are on the rise across the NFL, with Arizona’s Trey McBride and San Francisco’s George Kittle pushing the spending ceiling for marquee talents higher than ever before this offseason. It’d be a surprise if Likely, for as good as he is, has the kind of production that would warrant a commitment of that stature. But salaries are swelling and if the Ravens fail to act before hammering out a deal, it’s likely going to only cost them more money in the long run.
Players like Evan Engram and Juwan Johnson both signed new contracts averaging more than $10 million annually this offseason and Cincinnati inked Mike Gesicki to a new contract averaging $8.5 million per season. Likely projects forward as a more attractive option than all of them.
With Andrews’ contract coming up after the season, there’s a natural transition awaiting. So while Likely isn’t focused on the details of negotiating a new contract, the time to proactively work on getting the deal done is now.
Baltimore Ravens among a handful of teams that NFL schedule makers gave one key advantage to for the third straight year
Like most things related to the NFL offseason, the buzz around the NFL’s annual schedule release has swelled in recent years. This past week’s schedule drop has allowed for analysts to comb through the quirks of holiday games, primetime opportunities, and more. One such layer to the growth in recent schedule analysis that has gained […]
