The Ravens’ 2022 draft class is one of the best in the franchise’s history. First-rounders Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum have grown into two of the league’s best players at their respective positions, and several other picks have developed into key contributors, too. Among them are tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, defensive tackle Travis Jones, punter Jordan Stout, and right guard Daniel Faalele.
Hamilton is Baltimore’s only 2022 draftee that has been locked up past 2025. The rest are set to hit free agency and could draw significant interest on the open market. Linderbaum, Likely, and Jones are thought to be the team’s priorities, though negotiations with Linderbaum have not progressed during the season.
The Ravens were hoping to extend Likely before the season, but a broken foot suffered early in training camp may have put negotiations on pause. The 25-year-old missed the first three games of the season and has yet to heat up since returning to the field. After averaging at least 20 yards per game in each of his first three seasons, he has cleared that mark in just one game this year.
Volume has never been Likely’s game, though, as he has shared tight end duties with All-Pro Mark Andrews for his entire tenure in Baltimore. In that time, he has been one of the most efficient tight ends in the league, averaging 7.9 yards per target in his career. For comparison, Trey McBride, who reset the positional market via a $19MM per year extension with the Cardinals this offseason, has averaged 7.55 yards per target since he was drafted, like Likely, in 2022.
That could create a standoff between the Ravens and their fourth-year tight end as they try to come to an agreement. If Likely is looking for a McBride-level deal, Baltimore may opt to use the franchise tag, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, locking him in at $15.8MM in 2026. The Ravens have not been afraid to place the franchise tag on key players before, and it is worth noting that their last two tagged players – Lamar Jackson and Nnamdi Madubuike – eventually signed long-term extensions with the team.
While Jones is an excellent defensive lineman, the $25.6MM defensive tackle franchise tag is too high a price given his lack of elite production (five sacks, 13 tackles for loss in 58 games). He may, however, be the best player at his position available and should still have a strong valuation. One comparison, per Fowler, is Dalvin Tomlinson, who received a four-year, $57MM deal when he hit free agency in 2023.
However, though the two players are both primarily run-stuffing nose tackles, their situations appear to be quite different. Tomlinson’s 2023 deal was his third contract, while Jones’ next contract will be his second. Tomlinson also had stronger production in the years before signing that deal relative to Jones, but Jones may have more long-term upside.