The New York Giants have made their first big splash of the NFL offseason. As first reported by NFL insider Dianna Russini, New York has signed tight end Isaiah Likely to a three-year, $40 million contract.
The deal is worth up to $47.5 million with performance based incentives.
Likely spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens. In those four seasons’ Likely has never eclipsed 500 receiving yards, but has never been below 300 either. He has 15 career touchdowns and has a high upside despite his rather limited statistics.
This signing comes amidst a flurry of other signings across the league today, March 9. It is the first day of the legal tampering period in the NFL, with the official new league year set to start on Wednesday, March 11.
Giants Add Tight End Depth In Likely
Likely became something of a gadget-play tight end with a less than traditional Ravens offense. With how often Baltimore utilized its running game with quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, passes to Likely were often made after decoy runs.
This is likely (excuse the pun) something that the Giants looked at when deciding on a tight end to sign. In a perfect world, New York wants its offense under mobile QB Jaxson Dart to look similar to what we see in Baltimore. Likely’s experience in a hybrid offense allows for what should be a smooth transition.
Likely’s roughly $13 million cap hit per season is a little high for a guy who isn’t as dynamic or explosive as other top tight ends in the league, but it is a sign that Giants ownership is ready to invest in the team after another losing season.
And New York has the cap space to make a few deals like this one; the Giants have $21 million in cap space heading into the 2026 season.
It’s also prudent to look at where that money is being spent: seven of the Giants’ top 10 most expensive contracts are on the defensive side of the ball. This investment in the offense is a good sign, especially considering they’ll have to pay Dart and Malik Nabers handsome sums in the next few years.
Giants New Look Offense Heading Into 2026
Don’t look now, but the Giants offense could certainly be strong in the 2026 season, assuming some injured players make it back to full health.
If Dart makes the second year jump he’s expected to, while Nabers and Cam Skattebo come back from their injuries, that new core four with Likely is pretty solid. All four of those players are under 25 and have plenty of room to grow with each other.
Now no one is expecting them to be a top five offense in the league or anything even resembling that, but it wouldn’t take much to upgrade after last season’s debacle on the offensive side of the ball.
One more move at WR to sure up the outside in the likely scenario that Wan’Dale Robinson leaves would make New York’s offense pretty formidable.
Giants Sign Former Ravens’ Tight End Isaiah Likely to $40 Million Contract