Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers put the NFL on notice with a full-blown breakout year in 2024 with 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five scores in his rookie season.
Yet, one NFL writer believes another Raider TE could be a breakout player in 2025.
Raiders TE Michael Mayer Named to 2025 NFL All-Breakout Team by PFF
When Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus (PFF) named a Las Vegas Raiders TE to the All-Breakout Team, many NFL fans would likely guess Brock Bowers would be that player. Yet, it was actually third-year player Michael Mayer who made this list.
Locker wrote, “Brock Bowers put together one of the best rookie tight end seasons ever, casting a humongous shadow over the rest of his younger counterparts. But his own teammate Mayer could follow suit this season.”
To be fair, most football enthusiasts could argue that Bowers already had his breakout year with over 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards his rookie season. This does make it difficult to list him as the potential option, but Mayer still feels like an interesting choice considering the usage we saw from him in 2024.
Locker added, “Mayer played only 461 snaps in his second season as he dealt with a personal matter, recording a 52.2 PFF receiving grade and just 156 total receiving yards. Still, he found ways to stay on the field given his 99th percentile rate of positively blocked run plays and 77th percentile separation rate. Indeed, the Raiders finished fourth in snaps out of 12, 13 or 14 personnel last year.”
The personnel usage is certainly noteworthy considering the Raiders lack of talent at wide receiver entering the upcoming season, which could force the Las Vegas offense to utilize more two tight end sets than most NFL teams, but a breakout year feels like a huge leap of faith considering this offense could be very run heavy with Ashton Jeanty spearheading the backfield.
Could the Addition of Geno Smith Help Unlock Michael Mayer’s True Potential?
Locker touched on how the changes at quarterback for the Raiders could positively impact Mayer by writing, “Las Vegas’ offense is in considerably better stead than a season ago, especially after acquiring Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks. Smith threw the 10th-most passes to tight ends a year ago, and the Raiders’ receiving corps is still rather thin despite drafting Jack Bech. A fresh start and a new structure might be all Mayer, a former second-round pick, needs to form a dynamic duo with Bowers. The sheer fact that the team elected to hold onto him amid considerable trade smoke is a sign in the right direction.”
TE duos may be very valuable to a team, but even the best offenses in the league have trouble manufacturing two productive players at this position in today’s NFL.
The Baltimore Ravens finished the season as the third-highest scoring offense in the league with QB Lamar Jackson throwing a career-high 41 touchdown passes in 2024. Yet, the immensely talented Isaiah Likely finished with just 42 receptions for 477 yards and six scores on the season operating behind Mark Andrews.
Mayer is a talented prospect, but expecting the third option at best in a run-heavy offense feels like a tough situation for Mayer to produce a breakout season in 2025.
