The Las Vegas Raiders have placed tight end Michael Mayer on the Non-Football Injured list due to a personal issue, the team announced Friday. Mayer had already missed the Raiders’ last two games due to personal reasons. He played in the first three games of the season, catching four passes for 21 yards.
The second-year tight end will be forced to sit Las Vegas’ next four game and will be eligible to return from the NFI on Nov. 17 when the Raiders travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins. Mayer and rookie Brock Bowers battled this offseason for the No. 1 tight end role, though they were expected to share the field a lot.
Bowers quickly emerged though, catching 28 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown through his first five games, leading all tight ends in yards and tying San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle in receptions.
Las Vegas hosts the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET.
What this means for Raiders’ offense
Mayer had already missed the previous two games due to personal reasons. Now, he’ll be out for at least the next four games after being placed on the non-football illness list.
The Raiders aren’t obligated to pay Mayer’s base salary for as long as he’s on the NFI list, but the expectation is they will according to a team source.
The former second-round pick was expected to have a sizable role this season. He was behind fellow tight end Bowers on the depth chart, but Las Vegas often leaned on personnel groupings with two tight ends to get him on the field.
In his absence, Harrison Bryant has stepped up as the No. 2 tight end behind Bowers. That’ll be the Raiders’ plan for the foreseeable future. — Tashan Reed, Raiders beat writer
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(Photo: Harry How / Getty Images)
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