Raiders Insider Blasts Michael Mayer Usage: ‘Mind Boggling’

The Las Vegas Raiders offense is going to look quite different in 2025 after their disappointing 2024 season. Geno Smith is taking over at quarterback, and Ashton Jeanty will be leading the way at running back. Add in tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, and the Raiders have the makings of a solid offense heading into the new season.

Of course, Las Vegas will need some secondary playmakers to step up behind these guys, and it remains to be seen who will emerge. One candidate is third-year tight end Michael Mayer, who has flashed his potential throughout the first two seasons of his career. If you ask one Raiders insider, it’s taken way too long for the team to get the former second-round pick involved in the offense.

Raiders’ Michael Mayer Usage Called Out By Insider

Mayer was selected with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, with the hope being he’d be a key playmaker for years to come with Las Vegas. Through two seasons, though, he has just 48 receptions for 460 yards and two touchdowns. Given the investment, Mayer’s time in the league has been disappointing, but his woes don’t fall solely on his shoulders.

When Bowers fell to the Raiders at the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the team simply could not pass up on him. Bowers promptly made the front office look fantastic for selecting him, as he caught 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns, earning him Pro Bowl and All-Pro First Team honors. On the other side of the equation, though, Bowers’ arrival sent Mayer to the shadows.

While teams can run double-tight end formations, the Raiders simply didn’t utilize Mayer much in 2024 with Bowers immediately turning himself into one of the best tight ends in the league. If you ask Vinny Bonsignore of Las Vegas Review-Journal, he thinks Las Vegas’ usage of Mayer, or lack thereof, has been “mind boggling,” and it sounds like he’s hoping the new coaching regime will find a way to put him to good use in 2025.

“A guy that caught my eye throughout this phase was tight end Michael Mayer,” Bonsignore said on the Vegas Nation podcast. “Quite honestly, not throwing anybody under the bus that was here previously, but I can’t understand how those coaches didn’t get more out of Michael Mayer.

“This is a guy that was a highly, highly productive player in college, and despite week after week [saying] they need to get Michael Mayer more involved … it never really happened which was mind boggling to me.”

Raiders Looking to Get Michael Mayer Involved in 2025

GettyRaiders tight end Michael Mayer.

Mayer’s upside is hard to ignore, but to this point, he hasn’t found his footing with the Raiders. It’s tough to say he’s gotten much of an opportunity to shine, but that could change with Pete Carroll taking over as the new head coach in 2025. Utilizing Bowers and Mayer in double-tight end sets could unlock a new version of Las Vegas’ offense, and while the team has more weapons than they did last year, they should have snaps for the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star.

There’s no doubt the Raiders’ handling of Mayer has been strange, but there’s still time for both sides to right the ship. With a new coaching regime in place, and a proven passer in Smith under center, Mayer will have a great opportunity to carve out a role with Las Vegas. If he can’t find his place this year, though, it could be time for him to look for a new home in the league.