A few weeks ago, John Harbaugh was talking about the passing game the Giants want to utilize in 2026 and how that related to his vision for what type of wide receiver he prefers lining up in the slot.
“To me, it doesn’t really matter what type of slot receiver you use,’’ Harbaugh said.
“It just depends on how you build that gameplan you’re talking about,’’ Harbaugh said. “So I just think whoever’s in those positions just needs to be really good at what they do, and then we’ll figure out how to use it.’’
The Giants knew they might have to figure out what to do at slot receiver if Wan’Dale Robinson left in free agency – a strong possibility. And so, they moved quickly to find a much bigger target when they agreed to terms with tight end Isaiah Likely, who was with Harbaugh in Baltimore the past four years.
Likely gets a three-year deal for $40 million, The Post confirmed.
Consider Likely the first Harbaugh player to come play for the Giants.
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Likely is not a typical slot target but he is athletic and much more of a pass-catcher than he is a blocker. A short slot guy – Robinson is 5-foot-8 – was not going to be a featured role in the system new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy will install with the Giants.
Likely, 25, has never been a high-volume pass-catcher, playing behind or at times alongside Mark Andrews with the Ravens. In 63 games (only 26 starts), Likely totaled 135 receptions for 1,568 yards and 15 touchdowns. He is not coming off his best season – only 27 catches and one touchdown in 2025 – but he reunites with Harbaugh as an important piece in Nagy’s passing attack.
Figure more than one tight end will be on the field more often than not. Theo Johnson returns for his third season with the Giants and Chris Manhertz, almost exclusively an in-line blocker, re-signed on Monday after playing in all 34 games the past two seasons for the Giants. The addition of Likely ends any possibility of a return for Daniel Bellinger, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Giants.
