The Raiders and Michael Mayer caught the NFL world by surprise on Saturday when news broke that Mayer signed a three-year contract extension that ties the former second-round pick to the Raiders for the next four years.
Many times, NFL contracts end up being inflated by initial reports, but in the case of Mayer it sounds like his three-year, $45 million extension didn’t have a lot of “fluff” as NBC Sports’ host Mike Florio reported over the weekend.
“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,” Florio reported on Saturday.
“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.”
By giving him $30 million fully guaranteed in the next six months, the Raiders showed their hand. They have no plans to trade or part ways with Mayer in the next couple years.
What’s interesting about the Raiders’ commitment to Mayer is that he has been rumored to be on the trade block for the last two years.
Mayer has obviously made an impression on head coach Klint Kubiak in their short time together, but the timing of the extension is still a little suspicious with Brock Bowers dealing with a new knee issue.
As Florio pointed out, Mayer’s deal puts him among the highest paid tight ends in the NFL, and that’s quite an achievement for a player with just 89 receptions and three touchdowns in his career.
From the outside, it sure seems like there must be some kind of uncertainty around Bowers, and if that’s the case, there are two possibilities that stand out as most likely.
Are the Raiders concerned about Bowers’ long-term health?
Bowers only needed a trim of his meniscus in his most recent procedure, but the fact that his “meniscus” is in the conversation at 23 years-old is not ideal.
NFL insider Albert Breer reported last week that Bowers has “wear and tear” on his knees going back to college, and it’s fair to wonder if the Raiders might be hedging their bet on Bowers by extending Mayer now.
Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe talked about Bowers’ knee last week and said it’s not ideal that Bowers is dealing with meniscus issues this early in his career.
“That’s what went out on me,” Sharpe said, referring to his meniscus.
Having Mayer gives the Raiders some leverage in contract negotiations with Bowers
Bowers is eligible for a new contract after the season, and when that eventually happens, he will most likely reset the market at tight end.
The Raiders should be willing to give Bowers a record-setting deal when the time is right, but contract negotiations could get complicated if Bowers misses time in back-to-back seasons with knee injuries.
With Mayer under contract, the Raiders won’t be in a helpless position if contract negotiations with Bowers don’t go according to plan.
x: @raidersbeat