The Las Vegas Raiders are making a big-time bet on a player whose NFL production has yet to resemble the record-setting numbers he posted at Notre Dame.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sept. 12 that tight end Michael Mayer agreed to a three-year, $45 million extension with $30 million guaranteed. The $15 million average annual value ranks fourth among current tight end contracts, according to Rapoport.
The deal was negotiated by Kyle McCarthy, Brian Murphy, and Cam Hahn of @athletesfirst
The deal represents a major commitment to the all-around profile that once made him a decorated tight end in college football. His receiving totals in Las Vegas have been modest through three seasons, but the Raiders appear convinced the former Notre Dame standout has become too valuable to risk losing.
Mayer Left Notre Dame With a Record-Setting Stretch
Before Mayer became a second-round pick, he built a reputation in South Bend as one of the most accomplished tight ends in Notre Dame history.
Mayer finished his three-year college career with 180 receptions for 2,099 yards and 18 touchdowns. Notre Dame noted that he left school holding the program’s career records for a tight end in all three categories. He also set single-season tight end marks with 71 catches and 840 yards in 2021 before establishing another school record with nine touchdown receptions in 2022.
His final season brought first-team Associated Press All-American honors after he caught 67 passes for 809 yards and led all FBS tight ends with nine receiving touchdowns. The production helped Mayer enter the 2023 NFL draft as one of the top players at his position.
The Raiders liked him enough to move up. Las Vegas sent the Indianapolis Colts the No. 38 pick and a fifth-rounder to jump to No. 35, where it selected Mayer. The team’s own draft profile highlighted both his receiving production and blocking, including a 92.5 overall Pro Football Focus grade during his final season at Notre Dame.
That college profile matters when viewing the new contract. Mayer has never been purely a detached receiving tight end. His value came from working in-line, blocking and giving an offense flexibility without tipping whether a play would be a run or pass.
Raiders Make Long-Term Bet Despite Modest Receiving Numbers
Mayer’s NFL stat line alone would not necessarily forecast a $45 million extension.
He caught 27 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie in 2023, then finished with 21 catches for 156 yards in 2024. Mayer rebounded in 2025 with career highs of 35 receptions and 328 yards, bringing his three-year totals to 83 catches, 788 yards and three touchdowns, per NFL.com.
His place in the offense also became more complicated when Las Vegas drafted Brock Bowers in the first round in 2024. Bowers quickly emerged as one of the NFL’s premier receiving tight ends, leaving Mayer with fewer opportunities to function as a conventional No. 1 option. Bowers led all NFL tight ends with 112 receptions and 1,194 receiving yards as a rookie.
Instead, the Raiders found ways to use both. The team wrote in October 2025 that Mayer was being deployed across the formation as 12- and 13-personnel packages became a bigger part of the offense. His presence allowed Las Vegas to pair Bowers’ explosiveness with Mayer’s size, blocking and ability to work underneath.
That makes Saturday’s extension a telling decision.
Rather than treating Mayer as expendable because of Bowers’ emergence, the Raiders paid him like a core piece.
Notre Dame Record-Setter Lands $45 Million Oakland Raiders Extension