The Giants didn’t just add a tight end this offseason. They made a clear bet on what Isaiah Likely can become.
New York signed the 26-year-old to a three-year, $40 million deal, and the move immediately gave the offense a different kind of shape. The Giants were looking for a multi-dimensional weapon, and they found one with a skill set that fits neatly into what they want to do. There’s also familiarity baked in, with head coach John Harbaugh now in East Rutherford, and Matt Nagy handling the play-calling alongside Harby.
That combination has already sparked a big-picture vision for how Likely could be used. The idea is simple enough: put him in a role that lets his receiving ability shine and let the rest follow. The Athletic’s Dan Duggan pointed to that upside when he named Likely New York’s likeliest breakout candidate.
"No one batted an eye at the Giants making Likely the fourth highest-paid tight end in the league because his receiving talent is evident. ... Now Likely is the Giants’ unquestioned No. 1 tight end after following Harbaugh from Baltimore, and the team needs his production to match his compensation."
The appeal is obvious when you look at how the Giants used the middle of the field last season. Wan’Dale Robinson, listed at 5-foot-8, became a major safety valve working from the slot and helped Jaxson Dart through a rookie year that didn’t give him many dependable targets. Now New York is trying to replace that type of production with a much bigger body - a 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end who moves like a wideout.
That’s where the fit gets interesting. With Robinson gone, Likely should have a chance to become a major target over the middle, especially with Malik Nabers drawing so much attention outside. The Giants are banking on Likely to create problems for linebackers, nickel corners and safeties who won’t have the size or speed to handle him cleanly.
Of course, the leap is still a projection. Likely has never been a featured weapon, and New York is asking him to become something he hasn’t shown consistently yet. The contract says the Giants believe the upside is real, though, and the opportunity is there for him to take hold of the job.
If he does, it would be a major win for the Giants and a tough pill for Ravens fans, who watched Baltimore move on from the younger tight end while committing to Mark Andrews. For New York, the hope is that Dart now has the kind of physical, reliable outlet that can keep the offense from stalling and give Likely the stage to justify every dollar of that deal.
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Stone, a defensive tackle at Oklahoma, is being viewed by some analysts as an interior answer if the Giants are looking ahead to life without Dexter Lawrence. Colemans move from Auburn to Texas has only added to the buzz around a receiver who could be viewed as a top-end target to pair with Malik Nabers, while Robinsons rise has put him on the radar as a possible fix in the back end. None of it is firm, of course, but the fact that these three prospects are already tied to New York says plenty about where the roster debate is headed. [Read more 🡒]