Ravens' Isaiah Likely Could Join NFL's Highest Paid TEs

Tight end may be the most interesting position on the Baltimore Ravens' entire roster, at least from a contractual standpoint.

Baltimore's top three tight ends - Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar - are all entering the final year of their current deals. Kolar should be easy to keep around as a third-string blocking tight end, so the real fascinating part concerns Andrews and Likely, even if it's pretty clear what's going to happen at this point.

Andrews, despite being an outstanding contributor over seven seasons in Baltimore, is probably entering his final year as a Raven. Not only is he turning 30 in September, but his contract demands are probably going to be too much for the Ravens to meet. That would leave Likely as the future No. 1 tight end, and he'd need to be paid as such.

Justin Melo of The Draft Network believes the Ravens could make Likely one of the league's highest-paid tight ends on his next extension, if he continues to produce at a high level of course.

"The Ravens could offer Likely a multi-year extension worth approximately $14.5 million per season. That figure would make Likely the fifth-highest paid tight end in the league, trailing just elites like George Kittle, [Trey] McBride, Travis Kelce, and T.J. Hockenson at the position.

"Pat Freiermuth and Cole Kmet signed extensions within the previous two calendar years that averaged more than $12 million per season. They've been similar weapons to Likely from a passing-game production standpoint. Likely's representation should aim slightly higher than those figures."

The $14.5 million per year would be slightly more than the $14 million per year that Andrews is making right now. However, Andrews signed his current deal in 2021, so the market for the position has obviously grown substantially in the four years since.

Likely, a 2022 fourth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina, has 108 receptions for 1,261 yards and 14 touchdowns over his first three NFL seasons. The 25-year-old is also a strong blocker, which is something Andrews has never truly been able to claim. That, combined with his age and likely lower contract demands, makes him the clear tight end of the future in Baltimore.