New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh didn't retain many members of the club's previous staff upon his arrival (three, to be exact). He did hang onto tight ends coach Tim Kelly, though, who's clearly excited about what Isaiah Likely has to offer.
In fairness, the entire Giants organization is stoked to have Likely; they did sign him to a three-year, $40 million contract in March, after all. However, Kelly seems particularly eager to work with the big free-agent addition.
During a recent appearance on the Giants Huddle podcast, Kelly touted Likely's unrelenting work ethic and remarkable physical tools.
"[Likely] gets mad at me when I take him out," Kelly stated. "He wants to get every rep possible ... but really his ability to create separation and pluck the football is rare. ... He's able to elevate and play above the rim, and he's really natural at catching the football and getting open."
Giants TEs coach Tim Kelly is the conductor of the Isaiah Likely hype train
Kelly didn't stop there. He continued to set the bar quite high, saying Likely can be "as good as he wants to be" in New York's offense.
Moreover, Kelly believes Likely has "all the tools to not only be a dominant pass game player," but also someone the G-Men can run behind. It's all about setting the latter up for success and "taking advantage" of a uniquely well-rounded skill set.
There's been a ton of buzz surrounding Likely, and understandably so. He has the talent and upside to be a difference-maker and impact winning in multiple ways. His importance to New York's success in 2026 cannot be overstated, as Kelly illustrated, especially considering star wide receiver Malik Nabers' uncertain recovery timeline.
The Giants will have to lean on Likely and evidently expect him to be up to the challenge. They paid the 2022 fourth-round pick to be a focal point of their scoring unit and are prepared to see what he can handle. His usage figures to reach another stratum after never seeing more than 60 targets in a single season across four campaigns with the Baltimore Ravens.
A foot injury at the start of training camp last offseason forced Likely to miss Baltimore's first three games in 2025 and derailed his summer momentum. He caught 27 passes for 307 yards and a touchdown.
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