A free agent tight end out of Baltimore may or may not want to "come home" next season.
We're less than a month out from the market opening up on free agency this offseason, and the New England Patriots look like they'll want to spend due to their $35 to $42.7 million cap space that's available to them.
Pats fans should expect some player movement due to some players' market values not aligning with the Patriots' budget or needs this offseason. They will also look to extend and re-sign some key pieces going into the fall of 2026.
If you want more on that, watch this week's new episode of the Patriots Roundtable Podcast.
It's usually in February, a month out from free agency, that the rumors start to fly online. Analysts and fans start to pinpoint players' actions in the public eye that determine where they end up signing. Some of these theories have credibility; others are plain old rumors.
The Patriots are going to be looking for more weapons in Drake Maye's arsenal this season. With tight end #2, Austin Hooper, becoming a free agent this offseason, many feel the Patriots may move on from him, yet they may want to look around for another tight end to add to Josh McDaniels' schemes.
Enter Cambridge, Massachusetts native Isaiah Likely, a free-agent tight end for the Baltimore Ravens.
Likely returned home this past week and was spotted courtside for a Boston Celtics game. Likely made an Instagram post about attending the game, and a fan commented, "Come back home, bro."
Likely liked the comment in a very non-private manner.
Taken in the fourth round in 2022 by the Ravens, Likely has played out his rookie contract behind primary tight end Mark Andrews. He combined for 784 yards and eight touchdowns in his first two seasons in Baltimore but became a prominent player in 2024, finishing with a career-high 42 receptions for 477 yards and six touchdowns.
If the Patriots are looking to strengthen their pool of tight ends in free agency, Likely could be a likely choice.
The Ravens had a frustrating year across the board. A late-season rally to sneak into the playoffs was stopped due to a missed field goal in Week 18 against the Steelers.
Likely could be toying with the Ravens organization by doing this, forcing them to get the paperwork in place for him to come back for another run. Or maybe he saw what many players saw this season in New England. He saw a culture being built by a coach who knows how to get guys to play for him.