Isaiah Likely Re-Signs with Ravens on Two-Year Deal

On May 20, 2026, the Baltimore Ravens announced a two‑year extension with tight end Isaiah Likely, locking him in through the 2027 season. The deal, revealed at the team’s offseason press conference, adds a proven red‑zone target after Likely posted 15 catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns last year, both scores coming on third‑down conversions inside the 20‑yard line. His efficiency—averaging 10.8 yards per reception and a 13.3% touchdown rate—ranked third among all NFL tight ends with fewer than 30 targets.

Likely, a 2024 fifth‑round pick out of Louisville, spent his rookie year on the practice squad before earning a mid‑season promotion in November 2024 after an injury to veteran starter Nick Boyle. The transition from practice‑squad grind to active‑roster contributor is a narrative shared by only 12% of fifth‑round picks over the past decade, underscoring the rarity of his rapid ascent. At 6‑11, 255 lb, his frame combines the size needed for inline blocking with the agility to run seam routes, a combination that dovetails with John Harbaugh’s philosophy of versatile, position‑flex players.

During his collegiate career at Louisville, Likely recorded 30 receptions for 340 yards and three touchdowns as a junior, averaging 11.3 yards per catch. His senior season was truncated by a hamstring injury, but the scouts who visited the Cardinal’s practice fields noted his “textbook hand placement” and “ability to generate separation against larger defensive ends.” Those traits earned him a spot on the NFL Draft Advisory Board’s “late‑round sleeper” list in 2024, and the Ravens selected him with the 161st overall pick, hoping to develop a home‑grown blocker who could eventually complement Mark Andrews.

In Baltimore, Likely climbed the depth chart behind veteran Mark Andrews (815 career receptions, 9,842 yards, 72 TDs) and rookie Tyler Glover, who flashed big‑play potential with a 43‑yard touchdown in the 2025 preseason. Andrews, now in his 12th season, continues to be the primary red‑zone weapon, but his snap count has dipped to 62% of offensive plays—a deliberate move by the coaching staff to preserve his health for the playoffs. This creates a clear slot for Likely as the secondary pass‑catching tight end, particularly on short‑yardage and goal‑line packages where his 56% edge‑blocking success rate in 2025 helped open lanes for running backs J.K. Dobbins and Miles Boykin.

What does Isaiah Likely bring to the Ravens’ tight‑end group?

Likely offers a blend of blocking proficiency and modest pass‑catching upside that perfectly aligns with the Ravens’ run‑first identity. Advanced Pro Football Focus (PFF) metrics rank his pass‑blocking grade at 71.5, placing him in the top 30% of all tight ends league‑wide. On the offensive side of the ball, his 4.2 yards after catch (YAC) when targeted inside the 20‑yard line is the highest among Ravens tight ends with at least ten red‑zone targets, indicating a knack for turning short passes into first‑down gains. Moreover, his ability to line up in the inline, slot, and even as a H‑back gives Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Tim Holt the flexibility to disguise formations without sacrificing protection integrity.

How did the contract terms compare to league averages?

The two‑year, $7 million agreement includes $3 million guaranteed, a $1 million signing bonus, a $500,000 roster bonus due at the start of training camp, and a $250,000 performance incentive for reaching 30 receptions in a season. Spotrac reports that the average annual salary for a backup tight end in 2026 is $3.5 million, with a median guaranteed component of $1.2 million. Likely’s deal sits slightly below market in base salary but exceeds the median in guaranteed money, reflecting the Ravens’ belief that his upside outweighs a modest cap hit. The contract also contains a “non‑guaranteed” year that can be restructured if the team elects to convert a portion of the base salary into a roster bonus, a flexibility the front office values given the tight salary‑cap constraints after releasing veteran linebacker Preston Smith earlier in the month, which freed up $1.2 million.

Key Developments

• Likely’s contract includes a $500,000 roster bonus due at the start of training camp.
• The deal contains a performance incentive of $250,000 for reaching 30 receptions in a season.
• Baltimore’s salary‑cap space improves by $1.2 million after releasing a veteran linebacker earlier in the month.
• Likely will be the first tight end to work with the newly hired offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, in a series of “tight‑end‑first” drills designed to improve pass‑set technique.
• The Ravens announced a revised tight‑end rotation that guarantees Likely at least 30 offensive snaps per game, a 20% increase from 2025.

What’s next for Isaiah Likely and the Ravens?

Going into training camp, Likely will compete for snap counts in both pass‑catching and inline‑blocking packages. Harbaugh emphasized that depth at tight end is crucial for maintaining a balanced attack against AFC rivals such as the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, whose defensive fronts are among the league’s top‑five in pass rush productivity. If Likely can translate his red‑zone efficiency into a larger target share, he could become a weekly fantasy flex option, especially in matchups where the Ravens favor a heavy ground game and rely on short, high‑percentage passes to the flats.

The Ravens entered the 2026 offseason with a modest cap increase of $4 million and a clear desire to solidify the tight‑end position after losing backup quarterback (and former tight‑end) Nick Vannett to free agency. The numbers reveal that Baltimore’s rushing attack ranked third in the league last season, averaging 4.9 yards per carry, and securing a versatile blocker like Likely helps preserve that identity. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald noted that keeping a reliable pass‑catcher on the field opens up play‑action opportunities, a nuance that often goes unnoticed in headline stats but is evident in the Ravens’ 12.3% play‑action success rate in 2025.

Beyond the X‑ and Y‑sides, Likely’s work ethic and film‑study habits have earned praise from teammates. During the 2025 preseason, he logged the most snaps among rookie tight ends on special teams, tallying 12 special‑teams tackles and serving as a wedge blocker on kickoff returns. His willingness to contribute in every phase earned him a spot on the “Ravens’ Most Improved Player” shortlist, a list that also featured defensive lineman Calais Campbell. The front office believes his continued development could allow Baltimore to experiment with two‑tight‑end sets without sacrificing run blocking, a strategy that was a hallmark of the 2019 championship team.

Historically, the Ravens have struggled to find a consistent secondary tight end. After the retirement of Todd Heap in 2011, the position became a revolving door of journeymen until the emergence of Mark Andrews in 2018. Likely represents the first player since Andrews to receive a multi‑year extension as a backup, signaling a shift in the organization’s approach to depth building. Comparisons are being drawn to former Steelers tight end Jesse James, who signed a similar two‑year, $6.5 million deal in 2022 and later became a key red‑zone weapon for Pittsburgh.

For fantasy owners, Likely’s contract solidifies his role as a low‑risk upside pick. In PFF’s 2025 tight‑end grading, he ranked 22nd overall, and his target share rose from 2.3% of the offense in 2024 to 5.1% in 2025. If he reaches the 30‑reception incentive, analysts project a fantasy floor of 6.5 points per game in standard leagues, with a ceiling of 9.2 points in PPR formats when the Ravens face run‑heavy opponents.