Michael Mayer sifts through rough years, but has big plans for Raiders

Michael Mayer could have waited.Played out the season.Reached free agency next March.

Found out how much another team would pay him to become its featured tight end.There would have been something understandable about that decision.Maybe even predictable.

When you spend your career working toward becoming an NFL starter, accepting a place alongside Brock Bowers requires looking beyond the number next to your name on the depth chart.Mayer chose to stay anyway.And after a season-opening victory over the Dolphins on Sunday that offered the Raiders some encouraging evidence of progress, his decision deserves a closer look.The three-year extension binds Mayer to the Raiders financially.But the reasons he signed it run much deeper than the $30 million he is fully guaranteed or the $45 million he could eventually pocket.It is a commitment to the team that drafted him, a coach with a plan for him, and a new leadership group he believes can finally get this right.Mayer has endured the losing, the revolving door of regimes and the frustration of playing for coaches who recognized his ability but never quite figured out how to make the most of it.He wants to find out what awaits on the other side of all that misery.

And he wants a hand in getting the Raiders there.“I’m gonna keep my head down and I’m going to keep working hard,” Mayer said.“And I’m going to do whatever I need to do for this team and to help them win.”There is something personal at work here, too.

This is an organization that stood by him through some of the most trying moments of his life, including his time away during the 2024 season to address personal issues.The understanding extended all the way to owner Mark Davis.Mayer needed that support, and the Raiders gave it to him.That stays with a person long after he returns to the field.Before the Raiders made this commitment to Mayer the player, they had already shown up for Mayer the person.He hasn’t forgotten.“This is the team that dra...