Much has been made about the Las Vegas Raiders' young tight end duo of Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer. As the story went, the former was just too good to pass up on, even though the team traded up for the latter the year before, and as long as the Raiders lived in 12 personnel, all would be well.
But now heading into year three of this tight end room cohabitation, it felt like a lost cause. Yes, Bowers is arguably the league's best tight end, but Mayer just hadn't panned out the way that anyone hoped. The decision to take two tight ends so highly looked like a mistake.
If anyone could rally the troops and help this tandem reach its ceiling, though, it would be new Las Vegas head coach Klint Kubiak, who is not only an offensive guru, but has utilized heavy sets in the past and succeeded thoroughly with them.
Bowers being injured to begin the 2026 NFL season put things on hold for a bit, but he returned in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints. Not only did he shine in his new role as practically a wide receiver, but the recently-extended Mayer also made big contributions in the receiving game.
The two coexisted. It took Kubiak one game to get this done. And that is both a bigger deal and way more rare than folks think.
Klint Kubiak had Raiders' Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer both contributing in Week 3
Not to diminish the impact of a tight end to receiving yards and touchdowns, but Mayer has always been a great blocker; the goal has been to get him more involved in the passing game and showing signs of what he accomplished at Notre Dame. In the first two weeks, that was on display.
However, the return of Bowers would throw a wrench into things, as the 2024 All-Pro garners quite a high number of targets. And that is precisely how it unfolded, as Bowers was thrown to 14 times and hauled in 10 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. It's hard to argue with throwing his way.
Here's where the difference came in, though: Mayer was a key part of the passing game as well. Sure, he was fourth on the team in yards and tied for third in both receptions and targets, but there was a lot of ball to go around. Mayer caught a touchdown and had 32 receiving yards against the Saints.
Maybe that doesn't sound like a lot. And perhaps, in an overarching sense, it isn't. But this kind of concurrent production for Bowers and Mayer hasn't been a weekly thing, and the good news is that it should only keep growing from here. It was their first game together in a new offense, after all.
Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer's history paints Week 3 showing in an even greater light
Some of these stats may shock you, but I promise that they are all true.
Let's use Mayer's three-catch, 32-yard, 1-touchdown performance as a barometer of a good game, which it is. Now into his fourth season, through 41 appearances, Mayer has recorded 30+ receiving yards OR a touchdown 12 times. He's done both in a game just three times, Sunday being his third.
How many of those games, though, in which he has recorded 30+ receiving yards OR a touchdown, has Bowers played in?
2.5. Including Week 3's game.
That's right; Mayer has only hit those thresholds in three games that Bowers has played alongside him, with one of them coming in a contest in which Bowers left the game early and only played half of the offensive snaps (hence the "2.5").
The only other time before Sunday that Mayer hit 30 yards OR a touchdown was when he had 7 catches for 68 yards in Week 14 of the 2024 season. Mayer has never logged over 30 receiving yards AND a touchdown in a game that Bowers played alongside him, until Sunday in New Orleans.
To be fair, the sample size is small, as the two have only played 21 career games together because of injuries and other absences. But one would think that 30 yards OR a touchdown, the former of which is especially a low barometer, would be reached by Mayer more often than three times in three years.
Past play-callers have failed to utilize his talents, though. Not Kubiak.
It is never all about the stats, but it is critical going forward that Kubiak continues to get both tight ends involved. It was no coincidence that Week 3 was the Raiders' highest offensive output since 2023. This has been the seemingly unreachable plan for years, and Kubiak got it done in one game.
More will be required, yes. And the Chiefs' fairly weak, or let's just call them inexperienced, secondary should be ripe for Bowers to take advantage of, and Mayer should have no issue shaking free of their linebackers.
This coming Sunday and every Sunday, this duo should be able to coexist in a new environment cultivated by Kubiak. At long, long last.
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