It speaks to exactly what kind of team the Baltimore Ravens have put together in 2025 that losing a Top 10 player at his position doesn’t even threaten to slow the train down – for now, at least.
ESPN’s Jamison Hensley and Jeremy Fowler reported on July 30 that an injury suffered by tight end Isaiah Likely the previous day was much worse than the ankle injury previously speculated and that Likely has a foot fracture that could keep him out for the next month.
From ESPN: “Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely suffered a small fracture in his foot at the end of Tuesday’s practice, sources told ESPN. According to sources, if all goes well in Likely’s recovery, he is expected to return early in the season. It’s possible Likely could be back for the Ravens’ Sept. 7 opener at the Buffalo Bills. Likely suffered the non-contact injury on the final play of Tuesday’s practice in a one-on-one drill against safety Sanoussi Kane. He was carted off the field and then limped into the locker room.”
Likely Had Breakout Season for Ravens in 2024
Likely wasted little time establishing himself as someone to reckon with in Baltimore’s offense in 2024 with 9 receptions for 111 yards and 1 touchdown in a 27-21 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 — a game in which a toe over the line in the back of the end zone was the difference in the game.
While Likely’s 2024 campaign seemed to put him on the radar of every NFL fan, his numbers don’t jump off the page; 42 receptions for 477 yards and 6 touchdowns. The unique thing about Likely and the Ravens is he’s not even their No. 1 option at tight end, where he’s still playing behind NFL All-Pro and 3-time Pro Bowler Mark Andrews.
Even with that, it’s hard to imagine Likely, 6-foot-4 and 247 pounds, not being the TE1 option on almost every other NFL team — something he will likely get a chance to do in the near future.
Headed Into Final Year of Rookie Contract
Likely played his way into becoming an NFL tight end at tiny Coastal Carolina, where he was a 3-time All-Sun Belt Conference pick and earned All-American honors in his final season in 2021 with 59 receptions for 912 yards and 12 touchdowns. He finished his college career with 133 receptions for 2,050 yards and 27 touchdowns.
The Ravens selected Likely in the fourth round (No. 139 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft and he’s been solid and steady through his first 3 seasons — he’s only missed 2 games and has 17-game averages of 37 receptions, 437 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns and has been great in the postseason as well, with 7 receptions for 126 yards and 1 touchdown in 2 games following the 2024 season.
Likely is in the final year of his 4-year, $4.16 million rookie contract, and while Spotrac projects he’ll receive a 3-year, $30.7 million contract that number seems low. He should be in line for something closer to the 4-year, $52 million contract extension recently signed by Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson.
Andrews is also in the final season of his deal — a 4-year, $56 million contract extension he signed in September 2021.
