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4 hours Ago By Mike Moraitis
The Las Vegas Raiders struck gold with the draft pick of tight end Brock Bowers at No. 13 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, but the pick was met with a lot of questions after the Raiders had just drafted a tight end in the second round the year before. That tight end was Notre Dame's Michael Mayer, who showed promise during his first season in the NFL.
However, Mayer took a back seat to Bowers immediately, with the Georgia product establishing himself as a superstar in what was nothing short of a historic season. Meanwhile, Mayer also left the team during the season to deal with an undisclosed personal issue that was not related to his diminished role. Thankfully, he ended up being OK and returned to the team later in the season.
Recent reports suggest that Mayer is now on the trade block , and Last Word on Sports' Anthony Palacios thinks the Kansas City Chiefs could be a suitor. The Kansas City Chiefs will undergo several changes in the next two seasons after there have been rumors that Travis Kelce is on the brink of retirement. Kelce is returning, but this could be his final season with the Chiefs, so the team signed another tight end in Robert Tonyan, who was on their practice squad already last season.
The Chiefs will likely draft a new tight end to help relieve the pressure of finding the next “Travis Kelce,” and while that won’t likely happen, they could trade for Michael Mayer. He is more than capable of excelling in this passing game as the Chiefs as the ingredients, and they just need the sauce, like Mayer, to stir the pot, especially for Isiah Pacheco’s ground game. After recording 27 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games in 2023, Mayer showed that he is indeed an asset in the passing game.
He has also shown himself to be a strong blocker, checking all the boxes teams want in a tight end. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Superstar tight end Travis Kelce has already revealed he will not retire in 2025, and his backup, Noah Gray, is signed to a long-term deal, so the Chiefs don't have a big need at the position by any means. "Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle.
I can’t go out like that," Kelce said of his plans to return for another season. At this point, acquiring Mayer would be a luxury for the Chiefs and would create a logjam at tight end. If this opportunity had presented itself in tandem with Kelce retiring, it would make sense.
But, right now, it's highly unlikely a Mayer trade will be in the cards for Kansas City..
