Airman 1st Class Jordan McCoy (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons

Raiders reportedly make Michael Mayer fourth highest-paid TE with 3-year, $45 million extension

The Las Vegas Raiders have reportedly secured tight end Michael Mayer on a three-year contract extension valued at $45 million, ranking him as the league's fourth most compensated player at the position. Although fellow tight end Brock Bowers typically leads the room, Las Vegas demonstrated substantial belief in Mayer's role.

Mayer is currently stepping forward as an immediate starter because Bowers recently underwent meniscus trim surgery on September 8 in Dallas under Dr. Daniel Cooper, which projects to sideline Bowers for at least one or two contests.

Simultaneously, tight end market dynamics expanded elsewhere as Tucker Kraft reportedly agreed to a four-year extension with the Green Bay Packers valued at $75 million, which can reach as high as $92 million. Kraft had been assembling career-best production in his previous campaign prior to sustaining a torn ACL in Week 9.

His signing marks another major retention effort by Green Bay, which also reached multi-year extensions this offseason with wide receivers Christian Watson and Jayden Reed.