ExtremeRavens Posted 20 hours ago Posted 20 hours ago Isaiah Likely made two things clear during a recent appearance on Jon Gruden’s “Gruden Goes Long” podcast: Baltimore feels like home — and he’s ready for more. The 25-year-old tight end, set to hit free agency, said he appreciates the Ravens drafting him in 2022 when “all 31 didn’t.” But he also acknowledged the reality of the moment. “Baltimore’s home for me, but at the end of the day, this is business,” Likely said. He told Gruden he has made his priorities clear to his agent: he wants to “blossom” — and he wants to be used as a “chess piece.” Slot. In-line. Out wide. Backfield. He’s not just looking to be a complementary piece behind Mark Andrews again. He wants deployment. “The last couple of years I’ve had a great vet in Mark Andrews, where he’s taught me everything to be a star caliber tight end,” Likely said. “I just want to be on a team where I could just get out there and help a quarterback, help a team be able to put as much points on the board as possible.” Likely also acknowledged the financial reality in Baltimore. Andrews, who finished last season with 422 yards and six touchdowns, agreed to a three-year, $39.3 million extension in December. Top receiver Zay Flowers has two years remaining on his rookie deal, with a $28 million club option for 2027 that could precede an extension. Starting center Tyler Linderbaum is also due for a new contract and is expected to command top-of-market money at his position. Baltimore has just $22 million in cap space, per OverTheCap. Likely understands the cap equation isn’t simple. After a breakout 2024, Likely’s production dipped to 27 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown last season. Part of last season’s modest stat line stemmed from a broken foot l suffered late in training camp. Likely told Gruden he didn’t feel like himself until about Thanksgiving. Likely called it “gruesome” for the injury to have occurred in a contract year. Even with Likely healthy late in the year, the Ravens failed to finish enough games to capture the AFC North or make a deep postseason run. Likely was at the center of one of the season’s defining moments — a controversial overturned touchdown in a December matchup against the Steelers. Officials ruled he did not complete the catch in the fourth quarter, wiping away a go-ahead score that would have put Baltimore ahead with less than three minutes remaining. “I really didn’t get an explanation, if I’m being honest,” Likely said. In some ways, the play mirrored the Ravens’ season — close, explosive, but ultimately unfinished. “That was kind of the mantra of our season — not finishing,” Likely said. “We’d have explosive plays, then drives would stall out. We just weren’t clicking on all ends.” The frustration carried beyond the field. After 18 seasons, the organization moved on from coach John Harbaugh — a decision Likely admitted stunned the locker room. “When you have a coach in Baltimore for 18 years, it’s a shock to everybody,” he said. “When you have a great team, as we does, where everybody’s putting you on the stratosphere of Super Bowl or bust, it starts getting a little heated in conversation when you don’t make the postseason.” The standard in Baltimore hadn’t changed. The results hadn’t matched it. Now, as the franchise resets under new coach Jesse Minter and Likely prepares to test free agency, both face a similar question: what comes next? Likely says Baltimore is home. But he also says he wants to blossom. Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes. View the full article Quote
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