The New York Giants have a potential breakout star coming into the 2026 season.
The New York Giants have a lot of optimism heading into the new NFL season, mainly due to their hiring of veteran head coach John Harbaugh over the offseason.
New York is also excited to see how second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart develops after showing some flashes of brilliance last season. But the Giants brought in a few quality players on offense who should make Dart's life even easier.
And one of them has been making waves throughout camp, even catching the attention of some national media members.
ESPN NFL analyst Dan Graziano put together bold predictions for every team in the league. For the Giants, he listed tight end Isaiah Likely as a potential breakout star heading into his first season with New York.
"Don't be surprised if ... tight end Isaiah Likely is a breakout star in New York…What I'm hearing: Giants coaches light up when talking about Likely, the free agent signee who came over from Baltimore with coach John Harbaugh. They believe he'll be a real asset for Jaxson Dart as a receiver and think he can win in both man and zone coverage," Graziano wrote.
Likely comes over from the Baltimore Ravens, but he has plenty of familiarity with the offense. Since he worked under Harbaugh in Baltimore, Likely could have an advantage of other players on the team.
But Likely will need to prove himself with this new club, in the same way that he tried to do with the Ravens.
Many people in Baltimore raved about Likely's talent, but he was never able to fully put it together. This could have been for different reasons, but there seems to again be a lot of excitement around the former fourth round draft pick.
Last season with the Ravens, Likely caught 27 passes for 307 yards and one touchdown. This was a down year for the tight end, as he had previously put up at least five touchdowns in each of the past two years before 2025.
But now, with the Giants, Likely could be a perfect red-zone target for Dart, offering a big body when the field gets tighter. New York will also be slowly working in star wide receiver Malik Nabers, who is coming back from injury, potentially opening the door for Likely to thrive.
All in all, Likely could be in line for a very strong season, and if he can put it together, the Giants could be a sneaky team in the NFC.
