The Matthew Stafford story has dominated headlines at the NFL Combine this week, especially in terms of Raiders’ news, but there has been more going on with the Raiders in Indianapolis than a failed trade attempt at Stafford.
According to The Athletic, two key members of last year’s team, at least going into the season, are rumored to be available if the Raiders can find a team interested in trading for them.
The first shouldn’t come as a surprise considering his contributions over the last two seasons, but high draft picks usually tend to be the beneficiary of a little patience.
“The Raiders have had discussions with teams who have interest in tight end Michael Mayer, according to league sources,” The Athletic reported on Friday via their team of insiders at the Combine. “Mayer hasn’t had the impact the Raiders hoped for when he was drafted in the second round in 2023. He had just 27 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games as a rookie.”
The other player the Raiders would be willing to trade, according to The Athletic, is another pick from the Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler era.
“Running back Zamir White is also believed to be available if some teams want to take a chance on a 2022 fourth-round pick who had some great moments in 2023 before falling off due to scheme, vision and injuries last season,” the same report said.
Mayer and White both had a disappointing 2024 season but could still have trade value.
Mayer’s season was derailed by a personal matter that forced him to miss time and both players felt the effect of Luke Getsy, who has developed one of the most underwhelming coordinator resumes in the NFL in recent years.
Mayer and White were both drafted by former GM Dave Ziegler and the general manager that replaced Zieger isn’t even with the team anymore. There are no decision makers in the building from the 2022 and 2023 drafts, so the leash will predictably shorter with some of the players taken in those drafts.
Mayer could potentially be worth a mid to late-round pick and White might fetch a seventh-round pick if the Raiders are lucky. The 26-year-old running back is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is coming away from a season where he averaged 2.8 yards per carry.
x: @raidersbeat
The Raiders should do like the Packers and refuse to sell new tickets to people that are selling them for profit!
He’s a headcase