Michael Mayer gets opportunity to live up to expectations

Prior to the season, there were conversations suggesting that tight end Michael Mayer was no lock to be a Las Vegas Raider.

The modest start to the 2023 second-round pick’s career, as well as the immediate rise to superstardom from Brock Bowers, all indicated that his potential would likely be found elsewhere. However, the talk around training camp was how Mayer was impressing his new coaching staff. There was even chatter from offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to suggest Mayer’s role would expand on offense.

It took some time for that talk to materialize into something tangible, but Mayer made the most of the first opportunity that came his way.

Mayer put together a performance that the Raiders were hoping to see for a long time.

Returning from a concussion and starting due to Bowers’s knee injury, Mayer proved his worth against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Mayer caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown against the Titans. The touchdown was just the third of Mayer’s career, as well as his first since December 2023.  Mayer also resumed his strong work on special teams, keeping punter A.J. Cole clean as he was able to pin the Titans back with four punts inside the 20-yard line.

“It feels amazing,” Mayer said, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I really want to be able to build on this. I don’t want just one touchdown and be done for the rest of the season. I want to keep going — every chance I get, every practice I get, every game I get. Scoring helps the team win, and I want to do that any way I can.”

Mayer’s contributions allowed the Raiders to snap a four-game losing streak and, while the hard work to get the season back in order is far from complete, a glimmer of hope is at least starting to emerge.

With the severity of Bowers’s injury, it would not be terribly surprising to see Mayer get a second straight start against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.