Going into free agency earlier this year, the Patriots had a long list of players fans hoped they would pursue at key positions, most notably edge rushers and tight ends.
Other than getting in the mix for a blockbuster trade for someone like Maxx Crosby, finding a young superstar in the making to join Hunter Henry was a key component fans wanted to see, and there was one player most had in mind: Isaiah Likely.
A fourth-round draft pick by the Ravens in 2022 became a free agent for the first time this spring, and given that he already showed a lot of potential to be a future No. 1 tight end for any offense, Patriots fans believed he could be the right guy to succeed Hunter Henry when the time comes.
Even better, Likely is from Massachusetts and grew up a Patriots fan. It would be a homecoming that everyone wanted to see, but that dream only lasted a short time until Likely signed a three-year, $40 million deal with the Giants.
As if that didn't sting enough, seeing him become a superstar in real time during his Giants debut on Sunday Night Football this week surely made it worse.
Isaiah Likely could've been the next superstar tight end for the Patriots in 2026
Although it was good to see rookie Eli Raridon score the first and only touchdown for the Patriots in Week 1, especially since he didn't have the most noteworthy summer with the team, it's hard to stop imagining what could've been had the team pursued him more seriously this offseason.
In his New York debut, he recorded a team-high 8 receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns, with some impressive catches made on chaotic third downs to ensure the Cowboys couldn't get the ball back and try to tie the game.
It is those kinds of game-changing plays that made him a prime target in the eyes of Patriots fans, and now they'll have to suffer watching him accomplish the best years of his career in New York instead.
At just 26 years old, his best years are still ahead of him, and he's going to develop solid chemistry with another young quarterback, but it won't be Drake Maye; it will be Jaxson Dart. That kind of QB/TE duo is something that would benefit the Patriots quarterback after Henry retires, and Likely could have been that guy.
The hope, of course, is that Raridon will become that guy in due time. Fortunately, he'll have Henry to learn from over the next few years, and he couldn't be a better teacher.
There's a lot for Raridon to learn and improve upon before potentially moving into the TE1 role that Henry currently owns, but he's just 22 years old, so there's plenty of time for him to become the superstar playmaker that the Patriots need him to be.
That will make the sting of Likely playing elsewhere hurt a little less.
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