On Wednesday July 9, 2025, NFL writer Alex Kay of Bleacher Report released an article called “The NFL’s Most Underpaid Player at Every Position”.
At the tight end position, he picked superstar Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders.
“While he may have had a historic opening campaign and begun establishing himself as one of the NFL’s potential greats, Bowers is still only the No. 32 highest-paid active tight end,” Kay wrote.
The Raiders are very lucky to have Bowers, who has a genuine argument to be considered the best tight end in the NFL after just one season, at such a bargain price.
Brock Bowers’ Contract by the Numbers
So exactly how much are the Raiders paying Bowers the next few seasons?
The average annual salary on his rookie contract is only $4.5 million.
“Not only are megastars such as George Kittle ($19.1 million) and Travis Kelce ($17.1 million) vastly outclassing Bowers’ current earnings, but even inconsistent journeymen such as Austin Hooper ($5 million AAV) are making more,” Kay wrote.
For a quick comparison, Bowers had more receiving yards (1,194) last season alone than Hooper has had in his last three seasons combined (1,154).
This, of course, is largely due to the simple fact that Bowers is only on his rookie contract. Much like the San Francisco 49ers situation with QB Brock Purdy, the Raiders got lucky that Bowers was an elite tight end immediately after entering the NFL, giving them years of star TE play before they have to open their checkbook.
“Bowers, 22, may not be handsomely paid quite yet, but don’t be surprised when he sets the table for the position with a record-breaking extension as soon as he becomes eligible,” Kay wrote.
Per NFL rules, Bowers will be eligible for an extension following the conclusion of the 2026 NFL season, the end of his third contract year.
To lock down their franchise star, the Raiders will likely want to sign him to a massive extension that offseason.
Can Ashton Jeanty Repeat Bowers’s Success?
The only thing that would be better than one NFL great in Las Vegas on a cheap contract is two NFL greats in Las Vegas both on cheap contracts.
Ashton Jeanty, the generational running back prospect out of Boise State, is making around $9 million AAV on his rookie contract.
That is already around the top 10 for running backs in the NFL. However, if Jeanty is the best running back in the NFL like Bowers was the best tight end a year ago, he will still be underpaid.
If both Bowers and Jeanty are the best players at their position in 2025, that could lead to the Raiders being very active on the free agent market ahead of the 2026 season. Because ultimately, why would the Raiders want to waste the final year of Bowers and Jeanty both on rookie contracts? They might as well load up the payroll with other veterans and try to make a Super Bowl run.
What do you think, Raiders fans? Who will prove to be the bigger steal in 2025 — Bowers or Jeanty?
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