The Athletic’s Sam Warren believes Michael Mayer “could be more of a pass-catching threat” under new head coach Klint Kubiak.

12 May 2026

Someone has to catch passes here, and the Raiders don’t have a single receiver who has cracked 700 yards in an NFL season. Both GM John Spytek and Kubiak have touted the idea of playing in bigger personnel. It’s certainly possible that Mayer gets more of a role in 2026, but with Brock Bowers ahead of him in the pecking order, Mayer probably belongs in the low-end TE2 pecking order until we see a firm role.