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Jan 11, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) makes a catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second quarter in an AFC wild card game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Giants UFA Signing Comes with a Question Mark

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Stephen Lebitsch | Last updated Mar 11, 2026 1:00 PM ET

It didn’t take long for the New York Giants, who were bracing to heavily reshape their 2025 roster into one that could fit the vision of new head coach John Harbaugh, to hit the ground running with their first major moves of free agency.

At the forefront of their initial decisions was going back into the well of impending free-agent talent that Harbaugh coached during his time with the Baltimore Ravens and luring them to East Rutherford, specifically one of his favorite players, tight end Isaiah Likely.

Likely, who agreed to sign a three-year, $40 million contract that could rise to as much as $47.5 million, was a move many saw coming, given his familiarity with Harbaugh’s schemes and the Giants’ dire need for an upgrade at the position and their offensive huddle.

While the offensive side has certainly taken some hits from their own free agents skipping town for new teams, there is already excitement brewing for what Likely's skillset could do with the arm of quarterback Jaxson Dart to transform the Giants offense that showed flashes last season.

Pro Football Focus analyst Bradley Locker has one chief concern about one of the newest Giants as the first roster of the Harbaugh era takes shape: his consistency and ability to become one of the best players at his job in the league.

"A talented tight end project, Likely has displayed flashes of brilliance during his four-year career with the Ravens," Locker wrote in his analysis of 10 free agents with question marks.

"That included a tremendous 2024 season in which he notched a 77.1 PFF receiving grade with 1.71 yards per route run and a 139.5 passer rating when targeted. His play was so premier that Baltimore considered extending him despite already fielding Mark Andrews.

Instead, the Ravens didn’t reach an agreement with Likely, and he turned in a disappointing 2025 campaign. During a season in which he made several untimely mistakes, Likely’s receiving grade fell to 57.0, and his yards per route run dipped to 1.29. Also, his yards after the catch per reception went from 6.1 to 4.5.

Still just 25, he will probably be viewed as a developmental tight end with field-stretching speed and secure hands, having dropped only two passes since 2024. But will he round into a dominant tight end worth $14 million or more per year — and put 2025 behind him?"

Isaiah Likely's Role Will Take the Next Step with the NY Giants

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

By making Likely their very first free agent signing after the NFL's legal tampering window opened on Monday, the Giants made it known they see way more than just a complementary piece in the former fourth-round draft selection by the Baltimore Ravens.

The reunion with his former head coach, John Harbaugh, establishes that he will play a crucial role in elevating the Giants' offense, which had the right leader in rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, but wasn't able to reach its full potential, in part due to a lackluster effort from a majority of the receiving department.

The Giants were heavily reliant on their tight ends to pick up some of the slack and produce the necessary yardage over the intermediate level of the field. That was evidenced by Theo Johnson, who ranked 10th among his position with 530 pass play reps, posting an 8.9-yard average target and 1.24 yards per route run that finished second among the

As much as Johnson was a trusty target for Dart, it didn't result in serious damage for the Giants' aerial attack. Johnson finished third with 528 yards and a team-high five receiving touchdowns, but saw his reception percentage drop to 62.5% as he fell victim to the drops and netted just 4.3 yards after the catch per reception despite having 5.5 in 2024.

Likely's addition will help solve some of those problems within the Giants' receiving corps and take some of the pressure off Johnson. Unlike his time in Baltimore, where Mark Andrews held the spotlight (averaged 32 snaps per game over four seasons), he will probably ascend into the TE1 role while providing another vertical threat who can come down with the football in big moments.

In his time with the Ravens, Likely has hauled in at least 30 targets three times, 400 receiving yards twice, and five touchdowns another two times while averaging over 10.4 yards per catch each year.

He can also play out wide or from the slot, where his speed and route-running ability have translated to 819 career yards after the catch and a 60.9% contested catch rate.

The biggest obstacle that stood in his way was Mark Andrews's reliability on big catches and in the red zone.

Likely also missed the first three games of the 2025 season due to rehabbing a foot injury he suffered in the preseason, which got him off to a slow start he could not overcome.

He's now out of that shadow in Baltimore and ready to jump into the spotlight for Harbaugh and company in New York, where there should be little doubt at the moment that he can shed those questions about inconsistency that are following him into his second stop in the NFL.