A lot has changed for the Raiders since 2023, but that was the year the club selected a talented tight end out of Notre Dame in Michael Mayer.
He caught 27 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns as a rookie, flashing his potential.
But then the Raiders brought in Brock Bowers at the same position in 2024, and he immediately became one of the league’s top players, earning first-team All-Pro distinction after his record-setting rookie year.
While Mayer was limited to 11 games in 2024, the new Raiders regime has seen a lot of good from the tight end during the spring.
“I thought Mike had a great offseason with us,” head coach Pete Carroll said in his press conference late last week. “We started out going heart to heart and him [understanding] what we’re all about, and he embraced it and took it as well as anybody could take the challenge of bringing it day in and day out. He had a great camp, and he was doing well before Brock got here, and the two of them just went head to head, just trying to make a play here and there and going back and forth. And they were just great contributors.
“It’s a terrific position group for us. Ian Thomas coming in really, really livens it up as well. So, we have a very good position group right there and excited about what they’re going to do, but I thought Michael had a great camp.”
Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly also noted earlier in the offseason program that Mayer had been “outstanding,” adding, “I checked — you can play with two tight ends in a game at the same time, and sometimes you can play with three tight ends they told me.”
That could mean plenty more playing time for Mayer, who finished last season with 21 catches for 156 yards.
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