Saturday the Raiders locked up their former second round tight end Michael Mayer on a three-year extension that keeps him in a Raiders uniform until 2029. Upon his signing, Mayer sent a message to the fans.
Signed. Sealed. Silver & Black. ☑️ #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/Qj2YFEC1ZA
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 12, 2026
"What's up Raider Nation, just putting pen to paper," Mayer said as he signed his new deal. "Very excited to be here, very grateful, very blessed. Gonna be here for a long time, so I'm very excited. Let's get started."
It was not long ago that the idea of Mayer saying these words seemed downright impossible. And yet here we are. So, how did we get here?
After an underwhelming rookie season for the 35th overall pick, Mayer then watched as the Raiders used the 13th overall pick in the following
draft on what looked to be his replacement in Brock Bowers.
Three games into that season, Mayer had just four catches for 21 yards and he stepped away from the team for personal reasons.
Mayer would be away for seven weeks, not returning to the team until Week 10. He would finish the season with just 21 catches for 156 yards. And the noise in the media surrounding whether the Raiders should look to trade him grew louder.
Last season, Mayer started to show his value to the team, playing alongside Bowers as well as stepping up when Bowers was injured. Showing he was capable of being a starting tight end in this league. But with Bowers on the team, that only seemed to suggest that once the 2026 season was done, he would move on to make his career elsewhere.
But before that 2026 season could even begin, the Raiders and Mayer stunned everyone by agreeing to an extension. Now the player who once likely felt replaced after one season and a forgotten man who would need to have a change of scenery to get his career going is sticking with the team that drafted him.
A complete turnaround for Mayer who clearly feels like Las Vegas is where he belongs. Kudos to John Spytek for creating an environment where that was possible for him. And thus keeping together one of the best tight end rooms in the league for years to come.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders TE Michael Mayer new deal shocking career turnaround in Las Vegas
