Isaiah Likely Can Use ‘Superpower’ After Ravens Contract Statement

He wants a new contract, and Isaiah Likely is prepared to wait for the Baltimore Ravens to offer one, but a “superpower” can guarantee the gifted tight end gets paid.

The secret sauce concerns the personnel grouping that helped the Ravens dominate on offense in 2024. That impact was discussed by Kyle Crabbs of AtoZ Sports, on the same day Likely made a statement about his next deal.

Crabbs described how Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken leaned into 12 personnel, one running back and two tight ends, after Derrick Henry’s arrival last offseason. The two-time NFL rushing champion helped the Ravens run “their second highest number of 12 personnel snaps in the last 20 years in 2024, playing with one back and two tight ends on the field 328 times throughout the course of the regular season. ‘Dominance’ is a pretty fair start to describe its effectiveness.”

Using a multiple-tight end formation worked so well because of Likely’s increased workload. His “emergence across more than 600 snaps for the Ravens last year holds a big key for the Ravens being able to fully lean into the grouping and have the needed receiving threat at the position to keep stress on base defenses against the pass.”

Likely’s value to both phases of Baltimore’s offense should earn the fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft a big payday before he becomes a free agent next year. The 25-year-old explained how he’s passing the time waiting for the Ravens and general manager Eric DeCosta to offer fresh terms.

Isaiah Likely Key to Ravens Success Now and in the Future

Likely wants to stick around at M&T Bank Stadium beyond this season. He made that clear to Kay Adams on the Up and Adams Show.

As Likely put it on Wednesday, May 21, “We’ll see. The flock knows I love them. I love being here, I love being a Raven.”

Likely might be content to let his agent handle the negotiations, but he’ll be acutely aware of how a fellow tight end reset the market earlier this offseason. The Ravens probably aren’t thinking on the same scale, but they shouldn’t spend too much time mulling his future. Not when Likely is the second-most versatile athlete on their offense, behind only dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The latter became increasingly dependent on Likely last season. It led to a stellar campaign for No. 80, who was targeted 58 times, including a quartet of games when Jackson threw to Likely four times or more.

Chemistry is improving all the time between Baltimore’s QB1 and a roving matchup nightmare. Their connection will be pivotal for the Ravens’ success moving forward.

Especially if Likely continues helping expand the offense.

Ravens Need Creative Player for Creative Offense

Having Likely in the lineup keeps the Ravens creative offensively, starting with their 12 personnel. As Crabbs explained, “elite teams in 12 personnel have the success that they do because they are naturally built to play heavy and threaten the run but boast the receiving profile at the tight end position to still put stress on the back end of defenses when it is time to air things out.”

Likely is a pass-catcher defenses need to fear, thanks to his wide receiver skills trapped in a tight end’s body. He’s at his best in space, but Likely’s 6-foot-4, 247-pound frame lets him still be effective moving the pile in the running game.

That effectiveness showed up when “the Ravens averaged over six and a half yards per carry out of 12 personnel last season.” It helped to have the beef of Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard and one of fellow tight ends Mark Andrews or Charlie Kolar on the field, but Likely keep teams guessing, even when the Ravens show heavy personnel and run-first sets.

Monken can make the guessing game tougher by replacing Andrews or Kolar with Likely to run a controversial play the Ravens helped to keep legal. It’s one more way Likely can be an asset in a consistently expanding offense.

The “superpower” is enough to get the former Coastal Carolina star paid.