Several Teams Reportedly 'Very High' on Pending Free Agent Isaiah Likely
General Manager Eric DeCosta said earlier this week that it's "definitely" a possibility the Ravens could bring tight end Isaiah Likely back. However, there's buzz that the Ravens could have formidable competition for Likely's services.
"Have heard from several teams at the Combine who are very high on Ravens free agent TE Isaiah Likely and what he could do as a TE1 for their team," NFL insider Aaron Schultz posted on social media. "Still just 25 years old and has never played more than 60% of snaps in a season. He seems poised for a nice payday and a bigger role."
Contract projections for Likely vary. The Athletic’s projection is three years, $42 million, while Spotrac's calculated market value for Likely is two years, $17.6 million.
After a training camp foot injury last season, Likely's production dipped to 27 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown.
The Ravens signed veteran tight end Mark Andrews to a three-year contract extension reportedly worth $39.3 million in December. Tight end Charlie Kolar is also a pending free agent. At the Combine, DeCosta was asked about re-signing Andrews.
"We were in a little bit of a jam last year at that position where we had nobody coming back, and we had conversations with Mark, and we had conversations with Isaiah, and we were able to get a deal done with Mark at the end of the season or near the end of the season that we felt really good about," DeCosta said. "We expect him to get back to himself and be the player that he can be."
FOX NFL Rules Analyst Says Overturned Isaiah Likely Touchdown Catch Was Correct Call
Nearly three months after a crucial Likely touchdown catch was overturned on replay in the Ravens' loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a season-altering game, the controversial ruling has become a hot topic again.
Earlier this week, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent appeared to suggest the ruling was incorrect. However, the league subsequently clarified that while the play was discussed in detail Monday as part of a conversation as to what constitutes a catch, it wasn't among the five replay rulings from this past season that Vincent said the league would like a do-over on.
FOX NFL rules analyst and former Vice President of NFL Officiating Mike Pereira weighed in on the subject on “Glenn Clark Radio.” He believes the ruling that it wasn't a catch was correct because Likely didn't complete a third step with possession of the ball.
"The rule as it stands right now, when they changed it a couple years ago, they said it's control, two feet, and then time," Pereira said. "So then it says, 'What is time?' It says examples of time are turning upfield, tucking the ball away, taking a third step, or having the time to do any one of those things, even if you don't do it. So it's so ambiguous that really the one thing that dominates from the rule right now is the third step. That's the first thing they're looking at – is there a third step with control?
"For those of us that look at the rule the way it is written now, [the Likely play was] clearly incomplete because the ball comes out just when that third foot is touching the ground."
Pereira said replay has muddied what is or isn't a catch.
"Look, it's a mess," Pereira said. "The whole thing is a mess on a catch, and I think replay is what created that. Because if you go back, you put it in the eyes of the officials, you went by facts and replay – control, two feet, that's it. After that, it was up to the official, in his eyes, when it comes to something as judgmental as time, you just put it in the officials' eyes, and you said to the officials, when in doubt, rule it incomplete. That was fine, and I think it worked fine for decades, but then replay got involved in this – time and doing something different – and I think that's what kind of mucked it up."
Former Offensive Coordinator: Lamar Jackson Is NFL's Best Quarterback and 'It's Not Particularly Close'
Lamar Jackson is unquestionably an elite quarterback, but former NFL offensive coordinator Scott Turner believes Jackson is in a league of his own.
"In my opinion, he's the best quarterback in the league and I don't think it's particularly close," Turner said on the "Ryan Ripken Show." "For as [many] accolades as he does get, I actually think he's pretty underrated of a player. The quarterback's job is to move the ball down the field and score points. And if you go back to the last season, he was fully healthy two years ago, they had 4,000 yards passing and 3,000 yards rushing. They're the first offense that's ever done that in the history of the NFL, and it's because of him."
Turner expects Jackson to thrive in new Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle's system.
Speaking of Doyle, Turner thinks he will successfully make the transition into calling plays for the first time in his career next season.
"At some point, everybody was a first-time play-caller," Turner said. "I've heard nothing but great things about him. When I met him, it was a positive interaction. And, obviously, having No. 8 back there is going to help his transition."
Denver Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton, who worked with Doyle in Denver and New Orleans, spoke highly of Doyle at the Combine.
"In the blink of an eye, we lost him. And now Chicago lost him and it's Baltimore's benefit," Payton said. "He's a tremendous football coach."
Jesse Minter Reveals How Talking With Draft Prospects Can Be Useful
Head Coach Jesse Minter talked about what can be gained by speaking with draft prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show."
"Most of these guys are well-prepared. I think you try your best to get them off of the well-prepared script and talk a little bit and find out a little bit about something that makes them go, something that motivates them," Minter said. "Everybody's been great. Certainly, there's levels to a really good interview, and then there's guys that may not know certain detail as much as you'd like to see. So, if you can get a little bit from it, I think it's worth doing."
Minter also showed off his throwing accuracy on the show. He won a $100,000 donation to a charity of his choosing by throwing a football into a hole at a distance on the first try.
McAfee noted that no one had done it on the first attempt this week, including Los Angeles Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback.
Ravens Are Just Outside Top 10 in The Ringer's Power Rankings
The Ringer released its early 2026 power rankings, and the Ravens landed at No. 12.
"This team is too talented to be ranked this low, but there are question marks," The Ringer's Diante Lee wrote. "Under new Head Coach Jesse Minter, it's likely that Baltimore's defense will take a step forward in 2026. But all eyes are on the offense and the plan that Minter and new Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle have in place to push star quarterback Lamar Jackson to championship heights.
"The Ravens have a chance to make a run at a title next season because of a weak AFC North and a wide-open conference. With some minor changes to the roster, particularly in the secondary and along the defensive line, Baltimore could quickly return to being a top-10 team."
As for the Ravens' AFC North rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals were No. 17, the defending division champion Steelers came in at No. 20, and the Cleveland Browns were No. 31.
