The Las Vegas Raiders were dealt a major blow ahead of Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, with star tight end Brock Bowers undergoing a knee procedure that would rule him out for the season opener and perhaps longer to get the 2026 campaign underway for the new-look squad.
Although the Raiders will miss Bowers against the Dolphins on Sunday, the team may have gotten some good news ahead of their first game of the season regarding arguably their best player.
Brock Bowers
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, there’s a chance that Bowers will only miss one game and be able to return for Week 2 on the road at SoFi Stadium to take on the division rival Los Angeles Chargers.
“After undergoing a meniscus trim Tuesday, the Raiders believe there’s a realistic chance Brock Bowers will miss only one game and return for Week 2 at the Los Angeles Chargers, per sources,” Schefter wrote on his X account. “Team will see how he’s feeling this week, but a potential return next week is within the realm of possibility.”
Obviously, this is great news for the Raiders, who were in danger of being without their best target in the passing game for multiple weeks.
However, there’s also a chance that the Raiders might be rushing their best offensive weapon back too soon, which can prove costly if Bowers reaggravates the injury or makes it worse.
It’ll be interesting to see how new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak handles this situation, as they’ll need to be careful not to jeopardize Bowers’ long-term health, but if the one-time All-Pro is good to go sooner rather than later, he’ll give the Raiders’ offense a significant boost to start the season.
In the meantime, the Raiders will turn to fourth-year tight end Michael Mayer to shoulder the load in Bowers’ absence, who the team seems to have a lot of confidence in heading into Week 1.
Michael Mayer Signs New Deal With Raiders
A testament to how much confidence Kubiak and company have in Mayer was the Raiders’ signing of the veteran tight end to a lucrative contract extension this week, an unexpected development for the storied NFL franchise.
Mayer inked a three-year, $45 million contract extension, securing his long-term future with the team while also becoming one of the highest-paid tight ends in the league.
Only four other tight ends in the league make more, with Kyle Pitts (Atlanta Falcons), Tucker Kraft (Green Bay Packers), Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals) and George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers) sitting ahead of Mayer.
With Mayer signing such a lucrative deal, it’s safe to assume that when Bowers begins contract talks with the Raiders, he’ll likely be aiming to be the highest-paid player at his position in the NFL, topping Kittle, who averages $19.1 million per season.
As for Mayer, the Notre Dame product has played 38 games in his NFL career thus far with the Raiders. He’s caught 83 passes for 788 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Obviously, not eye-popping numbers for the 25-year-old tight end, but those numbers could be on the rise in Kubiak’s offense, as the new Raiders head coach clearly has plans to get both of his tight ends heavily involved in the passing game.
Brock Bowers’ Injury Timeline Takes Surprising Turn for Raiders