The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off a 4-13 season and a fourth-place finish in the AFC West that led to the firings of head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco just one year into their tenures.
This offseason, Las Vegas has made massive changes, hiring John Spytek to run the front office and Pete Carroll to head up the coaching staff. They've also added some talented players, including quarterback Geno Smith, whom they acquired for a third-round pick in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.
As the Raiders look to improve their team for the 2025 season, they may consider moving on from other pieces, including tight end Michael Mayer. In fact, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox recently predicted that Las Vegas would get a great return (a fourth and fifth-round pick in 2025) for Mayer in a draft-day trade with the Cleveland Browns.
Mayer, 23, played collegiately at Notre Dame from 2020-22, earning All-ACC honors once and All-American honors twice during his time with the Fighting Irish.
The Raiders took Mayer in the second round (No. 35 overall) of the 2023 NFL draft and made him their top tight end as a rookie. Unfortunately, he wasn't great his first year, catching just 27 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns.
Then, after Las Vegas selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers in the first round last year, Mayer struggled even more, recording just 21 receptions for 156 yards in 11 games. He missed significant time during the middle of the year due to personal reasons.
After two disappointing years, the Raiders would probably be thrilled to get a pair of Day 3 picks for Mayer at this point. They'd also still have Bowers to rely on at the position and could either sign a veteran or take another in the draft.
Cleveland currently has David Njoku a their top tight end, and he's a solid option for Joe Flacco or whoever is under center in 2025. However, Mayer could be a welcome addition to the room, especially if the Browns believe that the tight end just needs a change of scenery to become the player that many thought he could be coming out of Notre Dame.
