For all of the positive developments the New York Giants have seen under John Harbaugh this season, Isaiah Likely's emergence has been the most enjoyable. While the terms of his three-year, $40 million contract were mocked at the start, he now looks like one of the biggest free-agent steals in the NFL.
Likely currently has the sixth-most receiving yards among all tight ends and has stepped up as a quality No. 2 option for a Giants offense that needed another reliable option behind Malik Nabers--which has been invaluable given New York has started three different quarterbacks this season.
Yet regardless of who's been under center, he's stepped up as a safety valve, as his 26.8% target share is the 12th-highest among all pass-catchers this season. Harbaugh always knew a breakout of this magnitude was possible once he got out of Mark Andrews' shadow in Baltimore.
Speaking of Andrews, while his former teammate is breaking out, he's regressed to the point that the Ravens should regret their decision-making. Back in December, they signed him to a three-year, $39.3 million extension, which opened the door for Likely to follow Harbaugh out the door in March.
It's an interesting paradox because the Ravens had two tight ends set to be free agents last offseason (Likely and Charlie Kolar). They chose poorly, and the Giants should be incredibly grateful for the sequence of events that we have seen because it could've been vastly different.
John Harbaugh picked the right ex-Ravens tight end to bring to New York
The 31-year-old hasn't been the same player ever since his costly drop against the Bills that knocked the Ravens out of the 2024 playoffs, but I don't think we ever realized how bad it was. He was once one of the best tight ends in the NFL, but now, No. 89 is just a shell of the player he was in his prime.
The three-time Pro Bowler has not surpassed 50 receiving yards in a game since September of 2025, whereas now that he's been given a real opportunity, Isaiah Likely has done so four times in 2026 alone.
Let's just go over some of the players with more receiving yards than Mark Andrews this season:
- Kendrick Bourne
- Kalif Raymond
- Xavier Hutchinson
- Darnell Washington
Let's also put a spotlight on how poorly the veteran played in Week 9. In Baltimore's blowout loss to the Jaguars, he caught just two passes for 19 yards, was called for a penalty, and fumbled a snap on a fourth-down direct snap to him. Even in the rain, there's no excuse. His old reliability is all but gone.
Andrews' struggles should put what the 26-year-old has done this season into perspective, because if he wasn't extended when he did, there's a real shot he would've been the Ravens TE Harbs brought with him, where his drop issues would be stalling drives instead of finally having stability at tight end.
The Giants should be incredibly fortunate about the Ravens choosing Mark Andrews over Isaiah Likely, and we're seeing the positive ramifications of such a choice this year.
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