If Isaiah Likely is to become the Baltimore Ravens’ top tight end in the near future, as many expect, they’ll have to pay him like one.
Likely, who has 108 receptions for 1,261 yards and 14 touchdowns in three years as Mark Andrews’ backup, is set to make $3.4 million in base salary in the final year of his rookie deal, per OverTheCap. He’ll also collect a signing bonus of $126,084.
That is significantly more money than he made in his first three seasons, where he had the same signing bonus but had a base salary of under $1 million, but still very low for what he provides. If the Ravens do indeed move on from Andrews and give the keys to Likely, they’re going to need to give him a sizable raise.
For now, though, that’s not where his focus is. Likely revealed on the “Up & Adams” show that he’s simply focused on going out there and playing his best, like many players in contract negotiations.
“We’ll see, man,” Likely said. “The Flock knows I love them. I love being here, I love being a Raven. I don’t try to think about [the] last year of my deal, I let my agent take care of that with the Ravens front office. I just try to go out there and ball, put everything there is on film and give it everything that I’ve got.”
Likely being strong as a receiver and a blocker gives him an edge over Andrews, who has never truly excelled as a blocker. The main reason why fans and pundits believe he will become the team’s top tight end, however, is simply the fact that he’s about five years younger, and by extension, cheaper.
While it seems that both Likely and Andrews — as well as third-stringer Charlie Kolar, who’s also in the final year of his deal — will remain on the roster this season, but what happens beyond that remains to be seen.
