Raiders' Michael Mayer has multi-faceted chance in front of him to begin 2026

The excitement of the Las Vegas Raiders' first game of the 2026 NFL season has been dimmed quite a bit with the news that star tight end Brock Bowers will be out and could miss time at the start of the year. This is a big blow, especially in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, who had no answer for him.

This brings Michael Mayer into the picture, who was expected to be a big part of the offense even before the injury. Mayer was drafted to be a No. 1 tight end in the NFL, but when the Raiders selected Bowers in 2024, that changed, and Mayer became a complement to the starting tight end.

Mayer has the talent and potential to be one of the better tight ends in football. He runs good routes and has a sneaky ability to create yards after the catch. Plus, he rarely drops passes and is a chain mover on third down.

This expanded opportunity should help Mayer show what he's capable of. And it'll help him potentially make some money next offseason.

Michael Mayer can help the Raiders win (and they're expecting a lot from him)

As a rookie, Mayer's ability was on full display, as he got comfortable and more productive as the season went along.

With Bowers on the sideline, Mayer should feel natural as the main tight end in this offense. It will put Kubiak back to his familiar use of tight ends running bootlegs and play-action downfield. The coaching staff also has high expectations for Mayer.

Offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko loves his skill set and what Mayer adds to the football team.

"Mike [Mayer] does a lot. Mike does a lot of things well, and we try to emphasize what he does well in the run game, what he does well in the pass game," Janocko told reporters. "His route running is always improving, his blocking is always an improvement, hand placement, all the stuff, pad level. Just the way he finishes each play with the ball in his hand. I think that's something that gives us an advantage."

It will be interesting to see how Kubiak adjusts Mayer's role and whether he plays much in the slot. During the preseason, he was the inline tight end for most of his snaps. On his touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals, we saw a possible glimpse of what it could look like.

On the touchdown pass below, Michael Mayer is the inline tight end, with a motion from Tre Tucker creating a bunch look. The play design is a delayed choice route perfectly schemed for the tight end, leading to an easy touchdown.

The former Notre Dame alum has a huge chance to display his value to the football team. Hopefully, for Las Vegas fans, he lives up to the challenge and can help this team win for however long Bowers ends up being out.

Michael Mayer could help himself earn a new contract with Brock Bowers out

It also shouldn't be lost on Raider Nation that this is a contract year for Mayer. Time has flown by, and all of a sudden, he's in the last year of his rookie deal. That means that if Las Vegas doesn't extend him, then Mayer will become an unrestricted free agent in the spring of 2027.

In an ideal world, Mayer plays well enough that the Raiders re-sign him for years into the future, and by not letting him reach the open market, they get him at a discount. But if he plays too well, Mayer will want to see what's out there for him and give himself a chance to really cash in.

So, there is more than one side to this opportunity that Mayer is getting. Yes, he'll get a chance to impact winning a bit more and have a bigger role in Kubiak's offense, but it also has serious implications for his future.

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