Isaiah Likely made a name for himself as one of the league’s more interesting backup tight ends, and the Ravens fourth-round pick will finally earn a larger role in the coming months. Selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, Likely originally impressed in the preseason and flashed moments of brilliance throughout his career. However, the presence of Mark Andrews prevented him from ever receiving a full-time workload.
With Andrews extended and Isaiah Likely headed for the open market, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports the impending free agent is not expected to re-sign with the Ravens. This makes sense, as Likely should desire a bigger role in an offense, and he’s not getting that in Baltimore. With that being said, there aren’t enough good receiving tight ends to go around, and any one of the following three teams could spend big on the Coastal Carolina product.
Ravens Unlikely to Re-Sign Isaiah Likely; 3 Fits Emerge
New England Patriots
While the Super Bowl didn’t go the way they wanted, there is no denying that the New England Patriots are ahead of schedule in their rebuild. Mike Vrabel’s squad proved they’re for real with a deep playoff run, Drake Maye played like an MVP in 2025, and the team still has $41 million in cap space. Hunter Henry has been one of the most reliable parts of the post-Brady Patriots, but the former second-round pick is getting up there in years. Isaiah Likely is the perfect choice to be the Patriots next featured tight end, and the former Raven should do well under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Kansas City Chiefs
As of this posting, nobody knows what the future holds for star tight end Travis Kelce. The future Hall of Famer is one of the greatest players of his generation, but he has lost a step in recent seasons. While he’s still a good player, he’s not the unstoppable force he was at the peak of his career. Even if Kelce foregoes retirement and returns for one more season, Kansas City must find the heir to his throne. Isaiah Likely is not as good as Travis Kelce, but the Ravens free agent has flashed the potential to be an above-average tight end and could thrive in Andy Reid’s offense.
Carolina Panthers
Former first-overall pick Bryce Young continues to improve on an annual basis, but he’s still not the type of quarterback that can singlehandedly carry a team to a deep playoff run. Carolina has two good young receivers in first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan and undrafted free agent Jalen Coker, but they could use more help at the tight end position. Carolina didn’t have a single tight end with more than 250 yards last year, and Isaiah Likely would easiliy be the best tight end on the roster and could help Young as he continues to improve as a quarterback.
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