The Baltimore Ravens have entered a new era this offseason, hiring a new coaching staff, and fans have been wondering if Isaiah Likely will be apart of the new era. The exciting tight end is set to enter free agency this offseason, after four years with the team, and signs have been pointing to, seemingly, an inevitable departure.
That was all but confirmed by some recent comments from Likely, where he explained what he’s looking for in free agency. The young tight end sat down with Jon Gruden for an interview, and Gruden asked him what message did he give his agent ahead of free agency. Likely kept it simple, saying, “I just wanna be able to blossom,” emphasizing that he’s ready to be a star-caliber tight end.
Isaiah Likely sounds like a player ready to move on from the Ravens
Likely gave a shoutout to veteran tight end Mark Andrews, who he says taught him everything to be a star caliber tight end. The younger tight end is now ready to be on a team where he has the opportunity to showcase those lessons. With Baltimore recently extending Andrews to a new three-year deal, it’s clear that team probably won’t be the Ravens.
Can the Ravens afford Isaiah Likely?? Because the way he's been playing he's going to be pretty expensive!
— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) February 19, 2026
My full interview with Isaiah is out now! pic.twitter.com/AfS5HICABk
Likely, who expressed his love for Baltimore in this same interview, has seemingly made peace with that reality. Gruden pointed out that Baltimore is already paying quite a few players a lot of money, before asking the tight end if the Ravens can afford him. That’s when Likely said he loves Baltimore, and that it’s home for him, but that business is business. For the Ravens, that likely means saying goodbye to the big-play tight end that they selected in 2022.
In four years with Baltimore, Likely played in 63 regular season games, catching 135 passes for 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns. In five playoff games, the tight end had 11 receptions for 176 yards and two scores. His talent was clear from day one, but he never emerged as the go-to pass catcher in the Ravens offense. He’ll now likely find an opportunity where he can be that for another team.