Michael Mayer quietly effective when it counted

In the big picture, Las Vegas Raiders backup tight end Michael Mayer had a mostly quiet third NFL season with modest stats.

The second-round pick from Notre Dame in 2023 had 35 catches for 328 yards on 50 targets in 13 games.

Yet, Mayer did make an impact based on this recent X post from an NFL analytics post, led all receivers in 2025 on third and fourth downs based on, at least, 15 targets.

Mayer, according to this metric, caught 88 percent of his 17 targets.

So, again, Mayer didn’t make a huge impact. But he was productive and clutch when needed and that plays, so the new Raiders’ offensive coaching staff some a valuable resource going into next season.

In other Raiders’ news:

• New trend: The Athletic examines how Raiders’ part owner Tom Brady is part of a new trend.
• FEED talk: Check out this FEED post and join the party.
• Top 24 draft picks figured out: There just eight more picks to determine the first round of the 2026 NFL Drat. We all now where the Raiders are picking.