On paper, it doesn't take much thinking to figure out why the New York Giants felt comfortable taking a shot on an Isaiah Likely breakout in free agency. The John Harbaugh connection from Baltimore was part of the elephant in the room, but the Giants also needed to bring in additional pass-catchers.
New York sought to continue aiding Jaxson Dart's development in Year 2, and the best way to do so is to surround him with pieces who can grow alongside him. They already have Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, but a tight end like Likely can grow into Dart's main security blanket within the offense.
The Giants signed Likely to a three-year, $40 million contract worth up to $47.5 million with $27 million guaranteed. That sounds like a lot of money for a player who has never been the premier tight end in an offense, but that could be just what makes him the perfect X-Factor for Big Blue in 2026.
Isaiah Likely is bound to be the Giants' X-Factor on offense this season
And it seems like those following the Giants aren't the only ones seeing the vision. While going over every team's projected starting lineup in 2026, ESPN's Seth Walder, Aaron Schatz, and Mike Clay labeled the 26-year-old as the biggest X-Factor for the offense now that he's a full-time starting TE.
"With Malik Nabers' health in question to start the season, the Giants are going to need at least one other pass catcher to step up in a big way," Walder wrote. "The wide receiver group has pretty limited upside, but Likely still has some promise of becoming a star-level tight end. Now out from Mark Andrews' shadow, is this the season Likely finally hits his ceiling?"
Walder noted that with Malik Nabers' Week 1 status in question, Harbaugh's squad is badly going to need to one of the many pass-catchers they brought in this offseason to step up. But it's most important in the case of the fifth-year tight end, who has never had more than 500 yards in a season.
The 2022 fourth-round pick stands at 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds, but could be more of a jumbo receiver than a traditional tight end. The Giants would be smart to move him around the formation. Because of his speed and red zone prowess, he very well could be the second option in the pass game.
The G-Men brought in Darnell Mooney, Malachi Fields, and Calvin Austin at receiver and still have Theo Johnson at tight end, but they didn't pay Likely all this money for no reason. Harbaugh clearly believes in him, and after the way he played at OTAs, it may not take long for Giants fans to as well.
But here's the thing with Isaiah Likely: Theo Johnson is no Mark Andrews. The Giants are finally giving him a chance to show what he's capable of as a TE1, and if he's able to rise to the occasion and handle a larger workload, the whole offense will be better off because of it.
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