ClutchPoints
The Las Vegas Raiders made some incredibly aggressive moves to improve the team this offseason. Las Vegas hired Pete Carroll, traded for Geno Smith, and drafted Ashton Jeanty to immediately give themselves a new identity on offense. Now the Raiders look frisky on both sides of the football heading into NFL training camp.
Las Vegas still needs to add some more talent on the defensive side of the ball. But the offense is looking better than ever.
The Raiders have already had a quick look at this year’s roster during rookie minicamp, OTAs, and mandatory minicamp. But the real test will come in training camp, which begins towards the end of July.
There is no guarantee that the Raiders won’t make any tweaks to the roster before then. Could Las Vegas add another cornerback in the secondary? Or maybe trade away a talented player?
Below we will explore one obvious Raiders trade candidate heading into 2025 training camp.
I want to start by saying that Mayer and Bowers can coexist in Vegas’ offense. But it may still be the right move to trade Mayer to another team.
The Raiders drafted Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He was drafted by a completely different regime in to a different situation. And the Raiders were right to draft Brock Bowers in the first round in 2024.
It should be no surprise that the arrival of Brock Bowers significantly cut into Mayers’ production.
Mayer put up 27 receptions for 304 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season. He followed that up with 21 receptions for 156 yards and no touchdowns in 2024.
Meanwhile, Bowers exploded for 112 receptions, 1,194 yards, and five touchdowns during his rookie season.
Mayer’s drop in production is tied to the arrival of Bowers, but not a change in his role. He had almost the same distribution of targets during both seasons with most of his targets coming short of the sticks.
None of this is an indictment of Mayer, but I think the Raiders need to get real about his value.
Ultimately, the decision on whether or not to trade Mayer could come down to the potential return.
I’m sure that Carroll would love to keep Mayer, as he would help the Raiders deploy more formations with multiple tight ends. But if the Raiders receive an offer they can’t refuse, they should be willing to move on from the former second-rounder.
Wanting to trade Michael Mayer is one thing. Actually finding a trade partner is another.
Fortunately, it seems quite easy to find viable trade partners who might be interested in adding Mayer before training camp.
The first team that jumps to mind is the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers have been vocal about the fact that they want to add another pass catcher. They even [sniffed around Dolphins...
