Michael Mayer continues to grow into consistent force in Raiders' offense

Nov 05, 2026 at 11:54 AM

Raiders Columnist

As the most, well, senior member of the Raiders roster, Kolton Miller has seen some … stuff.

But few things have been more gratifying for the ninth-year left tackle than to witness the development of his next-door neighbor in the Raiders locker room, tight end Michael Mayer.

"Oh, man, Michael, he's always brought a great attitude," Miller told me. "He's gritty. He comes in and he makes big blocks, and he's done that for the majority of his career.

"And now, he's really taking that next step. He's been making big plays and he just brings consistency and a hard work ethic, and you just love the dude."

What's not to love about Mayer?

Since being drafted out of Notre Dame with the 35th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, all he has done is grow. Both on and off the field.

One year after Mayer was taken as the top tight end in the draft, the Raiders went ahead and grabbed another best-tight-end-in-the-draft in Brock Bowers. And all Bowers did was author a first-team All-Pro season.

As a rookie.

But Mayer, who left the team for six games for personal reasons in his second season, has been proving his worth ever since.

So much so that the Raiders rewarded Mayer with a multi-year contract extension the day before the season opener.

Related Links

"Obviously, the first couple of years here didn't go the way that I wanted it to go," Mayer told me during an interview on the Raiders Podcast Network.

"At the end of the day, [general manager John] Spytek has shown that he wanted to re-sign a draft pick. … I got drafted here and I wanted to stay here and Spytek's done a fantastic job. And I feel like I've shown them the type of person I am and the type of football player that I am, and they wanted me here and I wanted to be here. Loyalty is a two-way street, there's no doubt about it, and I'm obsessed with being here. I love it here and they want me here, too, so it's great."

In his fourth season with the Raiders, Mayer is already on his fourth general manager (Dave Ziegler, Champ Kelly, Tom Telesco, Spytek) and his fourth head coach (Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce, Pete Carroll and Klint Kubiak).

A constant for Mayer, though, has been tight ends coach Luke Steckel, who has been with the Raiders since 2024, and who has seen Mayer's production improve from 21 catches to 35 last year to (check notes) 36 catches thus far this season.

Yes, eight games into this season, and with nine games to go, Mayer has already set single-season career highs in catches (36) and receiving yards (351).

Sticky hands?

And then some. Though a different, ahem, brand than those submitted by the likes of Fred Biletnikoff and Lester Hayes.

Consider: Mayer's 84% catch rate is third best among all NFL tight ends, minimum 25 targets, and the best rate among Raiders tight ends.

Besides "instinct," Mayer credits rookie head coach Klint Kubiak's scheme, offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko's vision, Steckel's continuity in coaching him up and quarterback Kirk Cousins for finding him when he's been open.

"It feels good," Mayer said of having his best personal statistical season. "I feel like I sort of had the same mentality coming in every single day — put my head down, work hard, study and see where it takes me.

"I need to keep working on YAC — yards after catch — and, you know, I'll keep doing my thing."

Which will only bring a smile to the face of Raiders coaches, teammates and fans alike.

"I love everything about this organization, our fans, our facilities, our city, and it felt really good," Mayer said of signing his extension.

"And I think after [signing], I could really get to work and just worry about football and worry about how I can help this team win: How can I be gritty in the run game for this team, get us going in the run game? Yeah, it felt fantastic."

Which brings us back to the grizzled vet Miller, the Raiders' first-round pick in 2018, and his take on his neighbor Mayer.

"He has a great attitude every day," Miller said. "He's always saying, 'What's up? You want to hang out?' But yeah, he comes to practice to work and you can't ask for anything more. And it's cool having him as my lockermate.

"He's taking that next step. He's just going to keep climbing, keep getting better. Yeah, I'm super happy for him. Looking forward to it."

He's not the only one.

1 / 95

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver coach Zach Azzanni before practice at Intermountain Health Performance Center.