Isaiah Likely #80 of the Baltimore Ravens could be a target for the New England Patriots.
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Isaiah Likely #80 of the Baltimore Ravens could be a target for the New England Patriots.
There will be several options open to the New England Patriots when it comes to upgrading the roster as the NFL begins its free agency process in the coming days. But the team expects to find that, coming off a 14-3 season and a Super Bowl appearance, with 23-year-old MVP candidate Drake Maye at quarterback and Mike Vrabel at head coach, the team won’t have to work quite as hard as it has in the past to get players to head to New England.
That could be especially beneficial as the team seeks to upgrade its skill positions, and while what the Patriots might do at wide receiver has gotten the most attention, they are likely also looking for a new guy (or two) to man the tight end position, as Austin Hooper hits free agency.
The Patriots had very good play from Hunter Henry and from Hooper behind him, but Hooper will be 32 in October and it would seem now is a good time to get Maye set up with a player who can man the position for the foreseeable future. One name figures to lead the way among tight ends this offseason: Ravens star Isaiah Likely.
Isaiah Likely Could Be a Fit With Patriots
Likely is a reliable target who is only 25 years old and has played in the shadow of Mark Andrews in Baltimore. But he’s probably ready for a bigger role, and pairing him with Maye on the Patriots might just do wonders for his career.
In fact, at The Athletic, Patriots beat writer Chad Graff calls bringing in Likely in free agency a “dream” for New England.
Graff writes: “A dream scenario to improve here would be to sign Isaiah Likely in free agency and then add a Day 3 draft pick. But Likely’s market could balloon since the Ravens tight end is still just 25 and probably hasn’t hit his prime yet, which is unusual for a free agent.”
Patriots Could Make Move Cheaply
If the Patriots are, indeed, sold on Likely’s untapped upside, it would appear that they have a decent chance of landing him, even in a crowded market. Again, he is not going to get many better situations to walk into than what he’d get with the Patriots, even with Henry still on the roster. Adding Likely would make Henry soon expendable, and Henry has only one year left on his contract.
Likely would not break the bank–the tight end market is always a cheap one. Spotrac projects him being valued at two years, $17 million, a number the Patriots could certainly handle.
Likely suffered a broken bone in his foot in training camp last year and was not quite the same during the season, going for 27 catches and 307 yards.
New England Patriots TE Hunter Henry
GettyNew England Patriots TE Hunter Henry
Isaiah Likely Might Have ‘Big Market’ This Offseason
At Pro Football Focus, in their free-agent rankings, Likely is listed as the No. 4 tight end available, which is somewhat deceiving because two of the tight ends above him are not going to be coming to the Patriots–Kyle Pitts was franchise-tagged by the Falcons and Travis Kelce is either playing for the Chiefs or heading into retirement.
PFF has Dallas Goedert rated above Likely, who is the No. 81 overall free agent this season, according to the site, which projects Likely as getting a three-year, $27 million contract.
They write: “Likely had a down year in 2025 but ranked earned an eighth-ranked 77.1 PFF receiving grade in 2024. It’s worth noting that he was likely hindered in 2025 by a foot injury suffered in training camp. Given that Likely will be just 26 years old when the 2026 campaign begins, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him have a big market in free agency.”