Former Notre Dame legend taking advantage of opportunity to showcase that his best days in the NFL are firmly in front of him 

When former Notre Dame star tight end Michael Mayer was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, he was viewed as a massive steal for the team. The Fighting Irish legend put together an incredible career while in South Bend, including hauling in 180 receptions for 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns during his three seasons. 

At 6-4 and 256 with a physical style and strong hands, Mayer was viewed as a really high-floor player. He was also only 21 years old when he was drafted, offering some developmental upside as well. There didn’t seem to be much bust potential for what Mayer brought to the field. 

For whatever reason, things haven’t gone exactly how Mayer would have envisioned so far in his career. He had some solid moments as a rookie during the 2023 season, but the Raiders opted to select All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers during the 2024 NFL Draft. That pushed Mayer to a secondary role and significantly lessened his involvement in the offense last season. 

On top of his smaller role, Mayer also missed a portion of the season due to some personal reasons. That forced the Kentucky native to be a part of a lot of trade conversations this offseason. Mayer wasn’t offloaded, and the Raiders instead insisted that Mayer was going to be a major part of their future plans. What his role looked like in 2025 was everyone’s best guess. 

Over the first several weeks, we saw pretty much the same roles for the top two tight ends, Bowers as your star, and Mayer as an important second tight end. During this past week, however, we finally saw a glimpse into what Mayer can be as the top option at the position while Bowers recovers from a knee injury. Mayer was able to haul in five receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown during the team’s 20 to 10 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

That performance gave Fighting Irish fans flashbacks, seeing the same rugged style that once made Mayer a legend. That type of outing shows that his best NFL days are still firmly in front of him. Opportunity is ultimately going to determine just how good Mayer will be.

The future for Michael Mayer

As long as Bowers is around, there are always going to be some questions about how to utilize both players effectively. While the former Georgia superstar gets healthy, you can bet that Mayer will continue to get opportunities. When the trade talks happened this offseason, Mayer was coming off a year where he managed to haul in just 21 receptions for 156 yards, and his trade value was never going to be that high. If Mayer has a couple of more productive weeks, could he be a much bigger trade asset? It is very possible.

There is no telling what the future holds for Mayer, and whether it is going to be in Las Vegas for the long haul. His recent performance does show that he belongs on the NFL level, and he can be productive when the chances come. The 24-year old still has a developmental runway to tap into. You can bet that Notre Dame fans everywhere will continue to root for Mayer to realize his overall potential.