Two former Baltimore Ravens are set to follow coach John Harbaugh to the New York Giants. One of them, punter Jordan Stout, made history in the process. The Giants reached an agreement Monday with Stout on a three-year, $12.3 million deal that makes him the highest-paid punter in NFL history, according to ESPN.
Harbaugh was on the Baltimore staff that selected Stout in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and he oversaw his development into one of the NFL’s most highly regarded specialists. Stout made the Ravens look smart for using such valuable draft capital on a punter when he became the league leader last season in net punting average at 44.9 yards.
Stout’s 47.8-yard gross average in 2023 set a Ravens franchise record, and he surpassed his own mark last season at 50.1 yards. He also had 100 punts downed inside the 20-yard line over his first four years as a professional.
Stout was a first-team All-Pro honoree in his final season with the Ravens. He also made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.
It is quite fitting for one of Harbaugh’s first notable moves with the Giants to be the signing of a punter. Harbaugh is a former special teams coach and regularly fields some of the best units in the NFL, and he brought special teams coordinator Chris Horton with him from Baltimore to New York.
NFL’s highest-paid punters
Salary data via Over The Cap
TE Isaiah Likely also headed to New York
Harbaugh will also bring tight end Isaiah Likely with him from Baltimore. Likely agreed to a three-year, $40 million contract with the Giants, according to NFL Media.
Likely is the No. 23 overall player in Pete Prisco’s top 100 free agent rankings and checks in as the second-best tight end on the market. The Giants’ acquisition is a splashy one that gives quarterback Jaxson Dart another promising, young weapon and one that could flourish upon landing in the biggest role of his career.
Likely was locked into a timeshare with Mark Andrews and never started more than nine games in any of his four seasons with the Ravens. He will be the unquestioned No. 1 option in the Giants’ group, though, and figures to see an uptick in opportunities as a result. Likely’s best season came in 2024 when he set career-highs in receptions (42), yards (477) and touchdowns (6).
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