The evergreen question for the San Francisco 49ers this offseason: Can the team find George Kittle some help? It’s an ideal free-agent and draft class to do it in. Kittle suffered an Achilles injury in the playoffs, but is optimistic he’ll return to full form.
Kittle will be 33 next season. While there are no signs that he’s slowing down athletically, you can’t assume that he’ll be the same. We are talking about the outlier of outliers. Let’s say Kittle returns to his All-Pro self. The 49ers still need weapons for Brock Purdy.
There is a tight end who will be on the open market that fits Kyle Shanahan’s offense like a glove. Today, we’ll discuss Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely and why he has the ideal skill set for the 49ers.
The box score might do the 49ers a favor in this instance. Nobody will confuse the Ravens for having an aesthetic passing game, despite their offensive coordinator getting a head coaching job this offseason.
Likely went back-to-back games this season with six targets–he had 95 yards in one of those– and then went the next two games without a target. That had to be maddening for Ravens’ fans, as the 95-yard game came against the Bengals, only to see him not a part of the game plan two weeks later.
Likely had gains of 43, 35, and 26 this past season, averaging 11.4 yards per reception on his 36 targets. He was consistent in that regard, averaging 11.4 yards on 58 targets in 2024, with six receptions of at least 19 yards. The difference between the two seasons, aside from volume, was touchdowns. Likely only scored one in 2025, but found the end zone six times in 2024.
Likely turns 26 in April, giving the 49ers a young, athletic tight end who still hasn’t reached his peak to pair with Kittle, especially as Kittle works himself back into football form after the Achilles injury.
Likely’s receiving production could replace Jauan Jennings. He only had one drop in the previous two years. Forty-four percent of his targets resulted in first downs this past year, while that number was as high as 61.9 percent in 2024. Again, consistency, despite a low target share. When the ball is coming his way, Likely is going to catch it– unless the refs overturn an obvious touchdown in the end zone.
Likely’s blocking prowess will be what catches the 49ers’ eye. He’s athletic enough to execute blocks on the move, which is something the 49ers want to do in the running game. I would almost consider him an upgrade over Kyle Juszczyk in this regard. Speaking of, Juszczyk’s contract has no guaranteed money after 2026. Plus, he’s 35. It might be time to turn the page from Juice, making Likely the pseudo fullback in the offense.
Watch No. 80:
He did something similar to the Chiefs and the Texans during the previous two seasons. On a screen pass in December, Likely took a Packers linebacker for a sleigh ride around Christmas:
Likely is a willing blocker with the ideal attitude and athleticism.
Most of his targets in 2025 came under 10 yards, but he had an average separation of 4.2 yards on those 27 targets. On six targets between 10 and 19, the average was 2.2, which is still impressive. Likely caught two of these three deep targets, averaging 1.6 yards of separation.
His usage should also make him easy to scout. Most of his routes were in-breaking routes, which is the 49ers’ forte. Likely averaged 14.8 yards per reception and caught 12 of his 19 targets for 177 yards, including 80 yards after the catch.
The 49ers could run in 12 personnel and not tip their hand as to whether it’s a run or a pass. They did not have that luxury with Jake Tonges, which is probably why we didn’t see him sharing the field with Kittle last year.
Likely won’t be for everybody, but he feels like the type of tight end the Niners have been eyeing for years. Likely never had more than 500 receiving yards during his rookie contract, which feels like a perfect time to buy low on him. Spotrac’s market value projects that Likely will receive a two-year deal for $17.6 million. That contract would be around the 16th-highest in the league at his position, and one the 49ers could easily stomach.
If the personnel department feels like the tight ends in the draft might take time assimilating into the NFL, then Likely should be a prime target during free agency.