Cowboys Give Ravens Blueprint for TE Contract

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely is one of several stars still awaiting an extension this offseason, but due to recent developments, he may not have to wait much longer.

Likely, 25, is the Ravens' future at tight end. The 2022 fourth-round pick has 108 receptions for 1,261 yards (11.7 yards per reception) and 14 touchdowns over his first three seasons, and has only improved each year.

Likely is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and what his next deal will look like remains somewhat of a mystery. However, another team may have just handed the Ravens a perfect blueprint for said deal.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson, who was taken just 10 picks before Likely in the 2022 NFL Draft, signed a four-year, $52 million extension with $30 million in guarantees on Sunday. The extension places him as the seventh highest-paid tight end in the league at $13 million per year.

Through three seasons, Ferguson has very similar stats to Likely. The former Wisconsin tight end has 149 career receptions for 1,429 yards (9.6 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns, though his production took a hit last year with quarterback Dak Prescott missing extended time.

Ferguson has also been the Cowboys' undisputed starter for the past two years, whereas Likely has split snaps with Mark Andrews. The fact that their stats are so similar, and that Likely has twice as many touchdowns as Ferguson, is a testament to the former's ability.

Assuming that the Ravens choose Likely over Andrews long term, which seems very plausible at this point, the former's extension could end up looking very similar to Ferguson's. It's a hefty price tag, but if Likely continues to improve, it'll be well worth it.

"Going into Year Four where now it's ... I've watched myself grow up to this point, but now, it's just watching film on the little things I've been doing years prior – the good, the bad, the in between – and really just amping up and really just understand that whatever I've done to this point hasn't brought us the ultimate goal," Likely told reporters on May 28. "Everybody, obviously, has something to work on, but just me being me, I'm always going to just watch myself and [focus on] those little details."