Isaiah Likely’s arrival in New York was never meant to be subtle.
The Giants handed the tight end a three-year, $40 million deal this offseason after bringing him over from Baltimore with John Harbaugh, and the way this roster has thinned out makes the move look even bigger heading into Week 1. With Malik Nabers working back from a torn ACL and the wide receiver room down to four players, Likely steps into Sunday night’s opener against the Cowboys as one of Jaxson Dart’s most reliable outlets.
New York’s pass-catching depth took a hit this month when the Giants released Darius Slayton. That leaves the team carrying four wideouts on the 53-man roster: Nabers, rookie Malachi Fields, Darnell Mooney and Odell Beckham Jr. If Nabers is limited or Beckham’s ankle keeps him from being fully available, the middle of the field becomes even more important - and that’s where Likely fits.
The contract tells you how the Giants view him. Likely got a $12.5 million signing bonus and $26 million guaranteed, while the structure keeps his 2026 cap hit at $6.1 million.
The dead-cap number sits at $20.5 million. That’s not the kind of setup a team uses for a short-term patch.
New York committed to the 26-year-old as more than a stopgap.
It’s also a notable gamble because Likely has never really been asked to be the full-time lead tight end. In Baltimore, he spent four seasons behind Mark Andrews in a run-heavy offense that didn’t always give him a massive slice of the passing game. Harbaugh saw all of it firsthand, and he wanted the reunion with a player he trusts to stress a defense down the seam.
The production has already hinted at what could come next. In 2024, Likely posted career highs with 42 catches, 477 yards and six touchdowns.
His 75.6 PFF offensive grade ranked seventh among 87 tight ends with at least 185 snaps, according to PFF. That came while he was still operating as the clear No. 2 option, which is exactly why the Giants are betting a featured role could open things up even more.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano also pointed to Likely as a breakout candidate this summer, reporting that Giants coaches “light up” when they talk about him and believe he can beat both man and zone coverage.
His 2025 season never got rolling the same way. A preseason foot injury slowed him down, and he finished with 27 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown across 14 games before reaching free agency. The Giants are clearly betting on the healthy version, not the one the injury left behind.
There’s also a direct comparison inside the roster. Theo Johnson gave the Giants 528 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 74 targets in 2025, which is useful enough on the surface.
But PFF graded him at 57.9 overall, 33rd of 37 qualified tight ends, with a 62.0 receiving grade that ranked 30th, per PFF. New York got some volume from the position, but not much separation.
Likely changes that equation. Johnson can slide into the inline, blocking-heavy role that suits him, while Likely becomes the movable piece Dart can hunt on option routes and play-action crossers.
That matters right away because the Giants need someone who can simplify things for a rookie quarterback making his first career start on a national stage. Dart is stepping into a game where the coverage will tilt toward Nabers if he’s on the field, and Dallas will have every reason to squeeze the outside. That opens the door for the tight end working the seam and finding room in the middle.
Nabers is trending toward playing after Graziano reported he is “good to go for Sunday night,” but the Giants have handled his knee carefully all summer. Beckham’s sprained left ankle also leaves the outside picture less certain, according to the team’s Week 1 injury report.
Likely brings the kind of versatility that can matter immediately. He can threaten defenses at multiple levels, he’s set to be the Giants’ primary tight end, and he also gives them a legitimate slot option. With the receiver room thin and Dart making his debut, Likely should see plenty of targets over the middle from the start.
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Giants Suddenly Need Theo Johnson For More Than They Planned
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Johnson already gave the Giants a real red-zone presence last season, when he led the team in receiving touchdowns, and now the assignment figures to stretch beyond just finishing drives. If the wideout room stays unsettled, his role in the passing game could grow quickly, giving the Giants another option to lean on while they sort out how much of their offense is actually intact for opening day. [Read more 🡒]