The Las Vegas Raiders have their tight end of the future in Brock Bowers. The 2024 first-round pick set every major record for a rookie tight end last season and he’s arguably already the best player at his position in the NFL.
After the Raiders traded Darren Waller following the 2022 season, they used a second-round pick to take Michael Mayer out of Notre Dame. He was supposed to be the tight end of the future but he only has 48 catches for 460 yards in two seasons.
Mayer may no longer be in the Raiders’ future plans as Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic recently reported that the team is open to talking about trading the tight end. Las Vegas signed former Carolina Panthers tight end Ian Thomas in free agency and he has starting experience.
Now that the Raiders have another tight end who can play meaningful snaps, it makes it a lot easier to justify trading away Mayer. With the Thomas signing, it would seem that it’s more likely than not that the former second-round pick is going to get moved. That may be what’s best for him as he’ll never be the No. 1 tight end in Las Vegas as long as Bowers is healthy.
Mayer Named Best Raiders Trade Candidate
The Raiders have plenty of needs all over the roster so adding an asset for Mayer has to be appealing. There’s a chance he could still be a very good player but Las Vegas simply doesn’t need him.
According to Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus, Mayer is the Raiders’ best trade asset currently on their roster.
“Las Vegas’ offensive blueprint is slowly coming to fruition after the team traded for Geno Smith,” Locker wrote in a March 20 column. “The Raiders will definitely look to upgrade their skill-position talent in the draft, but Mayer might not be in those plans.
“The Notre Dame product played just 461 snaps last year as he dealt with a personal issue. On top of that, through two pro seasons, he hasn’t even reached a 60.0 PFF overall grade. Yes, Pete Carroll could implement Mayer next to Brock Bowers in 12 personnel, but Mayer has reportedly been floated in trade talks. The 23-year-old could be sought after if offered.”
How Much Is Mayer Worth in a Trade?
The Raiders aren’t likely to get a second-round pick in return for Mayer. It’s been two years since he’s been drafted and he’s missed nine games in that span. At this point, the most the Raiders could get for Mayer is a third-round pick and that may be too much.
It’s possible that there’s a team that loved him coming out of college and is willing to pay a premium for him. Anything less than a fourth-round pick would be a waste for the Raiders.
They’d be better off seeing if he can make an impact this season and recoup some value. A strong 2025 season could make Mayer more valuable next offseason. The Raiders have a real quarterback and a real offensive coordinator this season so running more 12 personnel may actually work this time around.
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