With mandatory minicamp underway, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer dropped some notable tidbits regarding the state of the offense. Are we finally going to see two tight end sets with him and Brock Bowers?
2024 was essentially a wash for Mayer. Dealing with personal issues caused Mayer to miss significant time last year under then-head coach Antonio Pierce and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. In fact, he started just eight games and saw little usage with just 32 targets amid a quarterback carousel.
Raiders TE Michael Mayer needs to forget about 2024…
Fast forward to June 2025 and things are looking different for the former Notre Dame star. He’s finally playing under a coaching staff that is full of proven winners and culture setters, maybe Mayer now finally will have some stability that will lead to on-field success. It doesn’t hurt that Geno Smith is going to be throwing him the ball now as well. Speaking with the media recently, Mayer gave a little bit of insight into what his new offensive play caller, Chip Kelly, is up to.
With me and Brock, it’s pretty interesting because we do a lot of 12 personnel stuff. You know, this spring we’ve also been doing a lot of 13 personnel, too, which has been awesome. It’s been a lot of fun.
By all accounts, Michael Mayer is having a nice offseason under Kelly thus far. Vegas Sports Today’s Mike Dixon went as far as to say that “Mayer is eating between the numbers, Geno Smith just hit him for a touchdown” on Wednesday during minicamp.
Whether you like Kelly’s past history in the NFL or not, he’s proven he can field a competent offense which is something that Raiders fans have seen very little of since Jon Gruden was forced out of the league. Possessing an All-Pro in Bowers and another tight end with untapped potential in Mayer gives Kelly an imposing duo that’ll do some damage alongside running back Ashton Jeanty. It also helps that the Raiders completely retooled their wide receiver corps behind Jakobi Meyers with a fast but diverse group.
Perhaps that’s why we didn’t see much movement this offseason as far as general manager John Spytek going after another “star” receiver to pair with Meyers. Something is churning in Sin City, is Kelly about to field something special this season?
*Top Photo: Getty Images