There's no reason to think that Isaiah Likely's future isn't bright.
But this also hasn't been the best season for the Baltimore Ravens' 25-year old tight end, and it hasn't come at a great time: Likely is a free agent at the end of this season.
"Likely is a rare athlete and only 25 years old, but he just hasn’t been consistent enough to warrant the monster multi-year extension many expected would be coming for him," The Ringer's Austin Gayle writes. "Baltimore re-signed 30-year-old veteran tight end Mark Andrews to a three-year, $39.3 million extension in early December, possibly signaling that Likely will test the market in March."
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It's been a funky few years for Likely in Baltimore. Andrews is such a stalwart, but Likely kept proving he deserved more chances.
They would come sporadically, though, in a run-heavy offense with talented WRs and Andrews, too.
When Likely got chances, he looked good. This hasn't been his best season. That might set up a change of approach to his free agency.
"He might be better off signing a one-year prove-it deal that gives him an opportunity to land a bigger multi-year deal in 2027 after a full season as the top tight end in a new offense," Gayle writes.
If Likely was only seeking a one-year deal, it'd also probably lead to more teams being interested in him. That's less of a commitment, so any contender wanting a tight end would give him a call.
And then, if things go better for Likely, he can get big bucks a year from now.
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