With a new regime now in place for the Las Vegas Raiders, work to reshape the roster as they see fit is commencing. On Friday, The Athletic reported that both Michael Mayer and Zamir White are available. White and Mayer both saw their roles diminish in 2024 with steep declines. With many teams and agents currently at the 2025 NFL Combine, this is the perfect time for conversations.
The timing of this announcement means that the Raiders could be looking to actively add more draft capital. Both players are still on their rookie contracts, so the money is not a large factor. The focus of any suitor will be solely on the talent of the two. Now that this has become public knowledge, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of market develops for this duo–this is especially true considering that San Francisco 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel was traded away for a fifth-round pick. What exactly are Mayer and White worth?
The Raiders appear to be done with Michael Mayer
Mayer’s placement on injured reserve for personal reasons remains an ongoing mystery in Las Vegas. The tight end was inactive from Week 4 to Week 9. Although we’ll likely never know what actually happened, is it far-fetched to think it might be playing a role?
After trading away Darren Waller in 2023, the Raiders were in need of a starting tight end. This is where Mayer came in. No. 87 was expected to be the future of the tight end room. However, despite being a high draft pick, Mayer failed to meet the expectations. He possesses outstanding hands but lacks the ability to separate and dominate as a receiver.
The addition of Brock Bowers last year to the roster foreshadowed the future. With Bowers being arguably the best tight end in the league, attention from Mayer vanished. The Notre Dame alum saw his percentage of snaps drop from already low numbers. In 2023, Mayer played 71 percent and dropped to 63 percent in 2024. Additionally, his production is not equivalent to that of a starting tight end in either season. Last season, besides Week 14, he never exceeded 22 receiving yards.
Was Zamir White a product of the system?
As a fourth-round selection, expectations weren’t too high for White. With Josh Jacobs having one of the best seasons of any Raiders running back in history in 2022, White saw little action. However, White received four starting opportunities in 2023 and made the most of them, so much so, it appeared he would be Jacobs’ successor. Unfortunately, the hype train died a slow and painful death last year, which led to multiple running backs having to split the load in a terrible display of a running game.
Was he simply a product of Josh McDaniels’ system? Either way, White might’ve played his last snap for the Raiders.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
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