The Las Vegas Raiders are a young team, so there aren’t a lot of proven stars on the roster. However, tight end Brock Bowers has already made it clear he’s one of the best players in the NFL.
He set records as a rookie, and though his second season was derailed due to injuries, he was still a dominant player when healthy. The Raiders have to be happy that he’s under team control for at least three more years.
He has two years left on his rookie contract and then an eventual fifth-year option that the team will almost certainly pick up. That said, the Raiders may want to start thinking about paying him sooner rather than later. His price will only go up every year.
Tight end contracts are still among the biggest bargains in the NFL, but that could change with Bowers. ESPN’s Seth Walder predicted that Bowers will be the first tight end to get $30 million or more a year.
“Sometime between 2027 and 2029, Bowers will become the first tight end to crack $30 million per year,” Walder wrote. “Considering George Kittle currently paces tight ends at $19.1 million per year, this would be a massive increase at the position. But that’s how good I think Bowers will be — and how important he’ll be to the Mendoza-led offense.”
$30 Million A Year Would Be Huge Leap
Right now, George Kittle is the highest-paid tight end making $19.1 million a year. The jump to $30 million a year would be very big in just a year or two.
The problem for the Raiders is that Bowers might not be a normal tight end. He could make the argument that he’s just as valuable as any of the top wide receivers who are starting to make over $40 million a year.
If Bowers catches over 100 balls and goes for over 1,000 yards this season, it’ll be hard to argue against his value. He’s certainly going to get over $20 million a year when he eventually signs, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to get to $30 million.
Raiders’ Biggest Reason for Hope
Walder’s prediction came from an ESPN article power ranking every team based on their future prospects from 2027 to 2029. The Raiders were ranked all the way down at No. 25, but there are reasons for hope.
Ben Solak revealed the Raiders’ biggest one.
“Fernando Mendoza, baby! The No. 1 pick is in good hands with new coach Klint Kubiak and an elite pass catcher in tight end Brock Bowers,” Solak wrote. “General manager Jon Spytek had a bit of a false start out of the gate given the 2025 Raiders’ personnel issues under Pete Carroll, but the Raiders now have an opportunity to take that thrilling leap that comes only with talented rookie passers — which they very well might have in Mendoza.”
The Raiders could easily be much better than the 25th-best team in the NFL in a couple of years, but that largely depends on how Mendoza plays. If he’s the real deal, the Raiders could be good for the foreseeable future.
Insider Makes $30 Million Brock Bowers Prediction