Theo Johnson did his part at Friday’s Giants practice, but the message around the tight end room was hard to miss. Isaiah Likely was the first read, the featured target for Jaxson Dart, and the one making the kind of splash plays that draw attention.
Johnson was involved too, catching a couple passes on the day’s long touchdown drive and handling the dirty work in-line. But the split already looks clear.
That’s the uncomfortable part for Johnson: he may have outproduced the pricier addition last season, and it still might not matter.
Likely arrived on a three-year, $40 million deal in free agency, with the contract able to climb past $47 million, to reunite with John Harbaugh. That kind of investment doesn’t come with a hidden plan to keep him in the background.
Johnson, meanwhile, is still on a cheap rookie deal and has no leverage in the room. The money tells the story before the first snap is even played.
Friday’s practice only reinforced it. Likely opened as the go-to option while Johnson worked the middle of formations and the in-line spots. That’s a familiar setup for a tight end who blocks and catches, not one being handed the offense.
And yet Johnson’s 2025 production was better. He finished with 45 catches for 528 yards and five touchdowns on 74 targets across 15 games, according to PFF. Likely, in Baltimore, had 27 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown in 14 games before landing the Giants’ free-agent payday.
Tight end, 2025 Catches Yards TD
Theo Johnson 45 528 5
Isaiah Likely 27 307 1
Of course, the context matters. Likely spent his Ravens stint behind Mark Andrews, which limited his volume.
Johnson, by contrast, was getting targets as a genuine Dart option on a bad offense. The Giants are betting on the Ravens pedigree and paying for what they think comes next, not just what already happened.
That’s where the real squeeze comes in. New York plans to lean into heavy two-tight-end looks with both players on the field together regularly, per ESPN.
On paper, that sounds like a way to keep everyone involved. In reality, it can also flatten Johnson’s role.
He becomes the blocker, the seam runner, the piece that helps make the package work, while Likely gets the flex looks and the manufactured touches that usually turn into targets.
So Johnson’s Year 3 challenge is pretty simple: prove he deserves more than a supporting role. He has the numbers and enough tape to make that case. The preseason opener against the Vikings on August 15 starts the next round of evaluation, and every camp rep Likely gets as the featured tight end only raises the bar.
Big Blue paid for the flashier name. Johnson now has to show they got the wrong one.
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