The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with tight end Michael Mayer worth $45 million, with $30 million guaranteed.
The deal carries a $15 million average annual value, ranking fourth among current NFL tight end contracts. The extension keeps the 25-year-old in silver and black beyond the 2026 season, his final year under the rookie contract he signed after being selected 35th overall in 2023.
Mayer, a Notre Dame product, has spent his first three NFL seasons as the complementary tight end behind Brock Bowers. He has 83 receptions for 788 yards and three touchdowns in 38 games. In 2025 he set career highs with 35 catches for 328 yards and one score in 13 games, including strong production when Bowers missed time.
The timing reflects both opportunity and scheme. New head coach Klint Kubiak’s offense is expected to feature heavy 12 personnel, creating more snaps for two tight ends. Mayer is also expected to handle an expanded role in Week 1 against Miami after Bowers underwent a meniscus procedure this week and is slated to miss at least one game.
At 6-foot-4 and roughly 256 pounds, Mayer has been valued as a complete tight end who can block in-line and work the short-to-intermediate passing game. The Raiders traded up to draft him in the second round and have kept him as a core piece even after adding Bowers in the first round the following year.
The $15 million AAV sits behind the top of the tight end market — currently led by George Kittle and Trey McBride near $19 million per year, with several others clustered in the high teens — while giving Las Vegas cost certainty on a young, physical tight end who fits the new staff’s personnel preferences.
Mayer will play 2026 on the remainder of his rookie deal before the new money takes effect. The agreement is another early roster-building step for general manager John Spytek and Kubiak as they try to stabilize a franchise coming off a 3-14 season.
