With the Las Vegas Raiders having a new coaching staff and front office, it’s still going to take some time to get a full evaluation of the roster. General manager John Spytek isn’t going to be loyal to players who were drafted by previous regimes.
Two players who could be on notice are 2023 draft picks Tyree Wilson and Michael Mayer. They were both highly drafted, but that was two general managers ago.
Wilson is likely to get moved because depth on the defensive line is very important. Brock Bowers is clearly the Raiders’ tight end of the future, so the best Mayer can hope for is being a high-end backup.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report went through and listed one player for each team that should be traded before the start of the season. He listed Mayer for the Raiders.
“There may not be a more obvious candidate on this list than Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer,” Davenport wrote. “When the Raiders drafted Mayer in 2023, the former Notre Dame star was regarded by many as the No. 1 tight end in his class. In each of his last two collegiate seasons, Mayer topped 70 catches and 800 receiving yards.
“However, the former second-round pick was quiet as a rookie, and then Brock Bowers’ arrival in Sin City well and truly silenced Mayer’s production.”
Chip Kelly Recently Praised Mayer
Mayer showed some flashes during his rookie season that made it seem like he could be the tight end of the future for the Raiders. However, the team decided that Bowers was too good to pass up the following year.
That was correct, as Bowers is arguably already the best tight end in the NFL. While there’s been talk about trading Mayer, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly seems very high on the tight end.
“I think Mike’s been fantastic since I’ve been here … we didn’t make any decisions on anything until you see him here, and Mike’s been fantastic since day one of the offseason program,” Kelly told reporters recently.
Kelly also has plans to utilize Mayer and Bowers together if they’re both still on the roster.
“There’s never a position anywhere where coaches say, ‘We have too many good players. … I checked: You can play two tight ends in a game at the same time. And sometimes you can play three tight ends,” Kelly added.
Should Raiders Trade Mayer?
Mayer is under contract for two more seasons. He’s coming off a season where he missed six games due to personal reasons and only made 21 catches.
His value is low right now and should only get higher if he has a good 2025 season. It’s possible that he has similar numbers this year, and that would hurt his value. That said, it’s hard to imagine the Raiders getting more than a fourth-round pick right now.
It makes more sense to hold onto him for now. That possible fourth-round pick may still be an option before next year’s draft. The Raiders are thin at wide receiver, so having two starting-level tight ends could be the key to the offense’s success this year.
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