Despite the presence of Brock Bowers, the Raiders have decided to keep tight end Michael Mayer — with an extension just before the first game of his contract year.
The details of the Mayer deal have emerged quickly. And it’s a solid agreement, especially since he has a mere 783 receiving yards in his first three NFL seasons.
Here are the full specifics, per a source with knowledge of the terms:
1. Signing bonus: $9 million.
2. 2026 base salary: $2.5 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2026 per-game roster bonus: $10,000 ($170,000 total).
4. 2027 base salary: $11 million, fully guaranteed.
5. 2027 per-game roster bonus: $10,000 ($170,000 total).
6. 2028 base salary: $11.735 million, $7.5 million of which is guaranteed for injury at signing. It becomes fully guaranteed in March 2027.
7. 2028 per-game roster bonus: $10,000 ($170,000 total).
8. 2029 base salary: $12.105 million.
9. 2029 per-game roster bonus: $10,000 ($170,000 total).
The three new years pay $45 million, an average of $15 million per year. From signing, it’s a four-year, $47.02 million deal, with an average of $11.755 million.
Mayer has $22.5 million fully guaranteed at signing. The full $30 million in guarantees will vest within six months.
It puts him among the highest-paid tight ends in the league — and it will surely prompt plenty of other tight ends to call their agents.
Listed behind Bowers on the depth chart, Mayer will enter the starting lineup during Bowers’s short-term absence due to a recent knee surgery to trim his meniscus.