After a nice college career at Notre Dame, Michael Mayer was the third tight end taken in the 2023 draft (No. 35 overall). His rookie season was a disappointment (27 receptions for 304 yards and two touchdowns over 14 games), but it's not as if the Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback situation did him any favors either.
Any idea Mayer would have a better second season was squashed by the drafting of Brock Bowers. Then Bowers had a record-setting rookie season with similar quarterback play. Mayer also missed six games last season due to undisclosed personal reasons, which helped limit him to 21 catches for 156 yards over 11 games.
Mayer played 63 percent of the offensive snaps in the games he played last season, fostering the idea he could co-exist with Bowers. But there's no denying Mayer has note had anywhere near the expected impact through two seasons, and a change of scenery might benefit him. The new regime in Las Vegas is also obviously not the one that drafted him.
To that end, Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic reported the Raiders have had discussions with teams who have interest in Mayer.
Mayer will turn 24 in July, and he has two years left on his rookie contract with a total cap hit of about $5.4 million over the next two years. He was regarded as a potential first-round pick before a lackluster combine showing dropped him to the early second round, and several teams liked him as a prospect.
So the Raiders have a nice tradable asset, for once. As Tafur and Reed noted, it seems to make more sense to trade Mayer than keep him around in a marginalized role.
NFL reporter Chad Forbes set what sees as the Raiders' potential return for Mayer.
Fits for #Raiders Michael Mayer. It's a very solid TE Draft Class & weak FA Group...#Giants #Jets #Panthers #Patriots #Colts #Bengals #Titans
— Chad Forbes (@NFLDraftBites) March 1, 2025
Raiders should be able to get a 4th Round Pick plus
The list of teams interested in Mayer could be very long, but let's narrow down to five possibilities.
5 teams who should have interest in Michael Mayer
5. Los Angeles Chargers
Will Dissly would the Chargers' No. 1 tight end if the season started today, and he wasn't completely useless last season (50 receptions). Drafting a tight end is surely somewhere on the radar, but it can be argued the now-available Mayer has as high a ceiling as any prospect in this year's class.
The big caveat here is obvious. The Raiders may have zero inclination to trade Mayer to a division rival, lest he get a better opportunity with a better quarterback, figure it out and stick it to them twice a year until further notice. But the taboo nature of making a trade with a division rival is diminishing, and the Chargers have the need at tight end to foster their interest and a viable trade offer.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
Recent reporting from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler suggests the Bengals could extend Mike Gesicki before free agency starts, which backs up recent sentiment from head coach Zac Taylor and general manager Duke Tobin.
That said, the Bengals don't have a viable young tight end on the roster and Gesicki is more like a wide receiver than an all-around tight end. The position has consistently been a mediocre hole in the weapons around Joe Burrow, and adding Mayer would be a move with the future a bit more in mind if Gesicki is indeed re-signed. There's also a local-ish angle, as Mayer is a northern Kentucky native.
3. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have a promising young tight end in Ja'Tavion Sanders, and there's certainly an early runway for him to have a full-on breakout next season, But Sanders is also the only tight end from their active roster last year who's under contract for 2025. So an addition to the depth chart is in order, and Mayer would be a worthwhile trade target with the potential for him to become a legit TE1 for Bryce Young.
2. New York Jets
Mayer was a player the Jets were very interested in as their 2023 first-round pick approached. Of course that was the previous regime, but his prowess as a blocker (the 13th-best run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus among tight ends last season) is sure to get the attention of new head coach Aaron Glenn and new offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand.
The Jets have an ongoing need for a young tight end. This time, they could get it right by taking a chance on Mayer and the Raiders can get a solid draft pick asset for a player they've pretty much made it known they'd prefer to move.
1. Indianapolis Colts
The tight end position was outright ugly for the Colts last season, with four players (Mo Alie-Cox, Kyler Granson, Andrew Ogletree, Will Mallory) failing to get to 40 receptions combined. Alie-Cox and Granson are free agents who should be gone, amid an overhaul of the depth chart that stands to also include the draft. Having some better tight end options should also naturally help quarterback Anthony Richardson, and that should still be a priority.
Mayer should automatically be on the Colts' radar, and the Raiders may be able to (relatively speaking) capture some leverage in trade talks compared to some other teams who have interest.