Raiders offense 2024: Motivated Michael Mayer a great thing for Luke Getsy

Tight end isn’t sweating the addition of rookie Brock Bowers and is eager to make a year-two impact

A sweeping in-season change that sees a general manager and head coach ousted means flipping the script. That’s what we all saw for the Las Vegas Raiders when Champ Kelly and Antonio Pierce took over for Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels after Halloween last year.

And there was an aftershock of that reverberating tremblor when Pierce got the permanent head-coaching gig and Tom Telesco was tabbed GM by owner Mark Davis.

A flipped script isn’t relegated to just the top of a team’s pecking order. It’s a classic trickle down effect to the players, too. Second-year tight end Michael Mayer is certainly one of those Raiders who have a rejuvenated mindset heading into the 2024 campaign.

“Yeah, my mentality, my attitude this year — nothing wrong with last year — but it’s just different this year, it’s different. I’m way happier, I’m way more positive. I love to be out here on this field. I love to play football, man. I mean it’s what I do, it’s my job like you said,” Mayer said during his media availability last week. “So, I’ve definitely flipped the script a little bit. Last year maybe there were some days I didn’t want to come in or something was going on, like I flipped the script. It’s time to dig down and play some ball, win some ball games and do what I need to do for this team. Rookie year is over, that’s way in the past. I’ve already reflected on it, I’ve already put it behind me. I don’t even think about it anymore.”

The 22-year-old (23 on July 6) Notre Dame product played in 14 games his initial season in the NFL (12 starts) and was targeted 40 times and caught 27 of those passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns. Of those receptions, 19 were for first downs showcasing Mayer as a reliable chain mover/safety net for the quarterback. The 35th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft arrived to the league as an all-around type tight end who can block and catch effectively. There were flashes of that his rookie year and now Mayer is all ahead forward and talked about what he focused on heading into the new season.

“I’d say my speed, number one. Number two, I’d say my blocking,” Mayer said. “I’d say about halfway through the season last year, my blocking really turned on, but those first seven-eight games, I really didn’t know what the heck I was even doing out there. So, I’ve definitely gotten better at that, there’s no doubt about that.”

While Mayer is focused on 2024 and beyond, it didn’t stop inquiring minds to dig down further on his rookie campaign — mostly under the previous regime.

“I don’t know, could have something to do with it, yeah,” Mayer responded when asked if flipping the script was due to Pierce being the new head honcho and bringing a different energy.

While Mayer didn’t divulge too much into the differences between how McDaniels and Pierce ran the Silver & Black, if you read between the lines when Mayer answered questions, you can get insight on the stark comparisons. Such as this one about having fun again:

“Having fun with your teammates, having fun on the practice field. Getting excited when you score touchdowns, like you’re allowed to do that at practice. You’re allowed to be happy for your teammates, you’re allowed to celebrate,” Mayer said when he was asked about celebrating a touchdown grab in practice. It doesn’t have to be, ‘Alright you scored, next play.’ Let’s take it easy here, let’s have fun. This is football. We’re doing this for our jobs. If we score a touchdown, that’s a big deal. We like touchdowns, so let’s celebrate and have fun.”

While Mayer readily admitted he didn’t know what gregarious meant when asked specifically about it by the media, it’s clear to see Mayer is in a better place and tight knit with his teammates. Especially the Raiders’ 2024 first-round pick — fellow tight end Brock Bowers, nabbed with the 13th overall selection out or Georgia. It tends to be a bit unusual for a football team to spend premium draft picks at the same position group in back-to-back drafts, but a true best player available (BPA) mantra facilitates itself to that kind of roster stacking.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Hence Mayer and Bowers.

“How are you going to stop them? Brock is a lot of speed. Like I said, I’ve gotten a little bit faster, and I think there’s a ton of things number one in the run game that Brock will be able to help me out with, blocking, but then number two, who’s going to guard both of us,” Mayer noted. “If you put it backer, put a small safety here, like I’m a big body, Brock is a big body, so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

A motivated Mayer (who stands at a sturdy 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds) is a great thing for Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. And the play caller and whom ever wins the quarterback job out of training camp are likely going to be the primary bottlenecks to just how effective and explosive Las Vegas’ offense can be this season.

Mayer is eager to keep grinding and elevate the offense this coming season. The enthusiasm was ever present when the tight end spoke of the learning curve and simplicity Getsy and the rest of the Raiders coaching staff have brought to the table thus far. Install and ongoing progression are going to be vital, but Mayer added talking to fellow Notre Dame product and Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet has helped tremendously. The Getsy-Kmet combo was a fruitful pairing in Chicago with the tight end being targeted 159 times and catching 123 of those throws for 1,263 yards and 13 touchdowns over the course of the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

“Yeah, Cole Kmet from Notre Dame for the Chicago Bears, so I’m pretty good buddies with him so I talked to him, and he said he loves Getsy,” Mayer said. “He loves Getsy and he loves Steck (Luke Steckel), my tight ends coach. And obviously, he just got a big-time contract, and he’s gotten a ton of balls his way. So, from everything I’ve seen, and everything I’ve heard and learned, Getsy’s offense is very good for tight ends. It’s very good for offenses and scoring points. So, we’re excited about that.”