Isaiah Likely
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Isaiah Likely may miss playing with Lamar Jackson.
Isaiah Likely’s days with the Baltimore Ravens reportedly are numbered, and he has a message for his soon-to-be former team and quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Likely spoke openly about how grateful he feels to play with the two-time MVP quarterback as he gets set to become a free agent next week.
Likely is coming off the least-productive season of his four-year NFL career, since he only had 27 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown — all career lows. Still, he is expected to command big bucks since he is one of the most accomplished tight ends on the market.
Isaiah Likely Kept the Door Open to Returning to Baltimore
The Ravens have used Likely and franchise icon Mark Andrews together as twin tight-end receiving threats since Likely entered the league as a fourth-round draft pick of the Ravens in 2022.
So with Likely about to hit the market, he wants to join a quarterback that can bring out the best in him, like what he has had in Baltimore.
“I know quarterback play is definitely a priority,” Likely told Kay Adams on the “Up and Adams” Show on Wednesday. “Playing with Lamar Jackson, he’s as gifted as they come at the quarterback position. Playing with him was always a blessing.”
The Ravens re-signed Andrews to a three-year, $39.3 million contract extension in 2025 and likely will be unable to even match, let alone surpass, what some teams are reportedly set to offer him.
“I gotta do right by me, do right by my family and do right by what I feel what I can do in this league,” Likely said. “I feel like I’ve shown enough ability to be able to help out any quarterback, any situation to be able to put points on the board and help an offense.”
Still, Likely would not say definitively his time in Baltimore was over.
“I tell everyone, the door’s always open for Baltimore, only because that’s family,” Likely said. “They took a chance on me when all 31 teams passed, and I tell that to all the fans and organization.”
Isaiah Likely Has High Praise for Lamar Jackson
Likely spoken highly of his time in Baltimore with Jackson. Even though he is excited to embark on a new challenge, he is smart enough to know what he could be missing in Jackson.
“It won’t hit me until it does,” Likely said. “When I go back home to Massachusetts and the kids ask me ‘how’s Lamar? How’s it playing with Lamar?’ and he’s like a superhero to them. To me, it’s just like I could call [Jackson] up and just chop it up with him on the phone and make jokes.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet, because technically I haven’t left yet. But, separating the business side from the family side, and I feel like [Jackson] understands where I’m at in contract talks and free agency talks.”
Jackson tagged the Ravens official X (formerly Twitter) account in trying to retain Likely, and the tight end understands why the QB wants him to remain in the Charm City.
“He wants me side by side with him all the time because we built a relationship and chemistry on the field that was just getting started,” Likely said. “He always tells me I’ve got a place with him, but he understands business is business, and he honestly wants to do right by me.”