The Las Vegas Raiders haven't had Michael Mayer in the lineup for the past two weeks due to a personal matter, and he will now miss at least the next four games.
The Raiders announced on Friday that Mayer has been placed on reserve/non-football illness list, which means he's out a minimum of four more games. With the team on bye in Week 10, Mayer won't be eligible to suit up again until Week 11. The team hasn't officially addressed the exact reason behind Mayer's absence.
But we do have some details on what's behind it, although they are sparse. According to Your Boy Q of the Locked on Raiders Podcast (25-minute mark), Mayer's absence has nothing to do with his diminished role in the offense in the wake of the team drafting Brock Bowers, and he is not seeking a trade.
Q adds that the Raiders weren't sure what was up with Mayer at first, but the tight end's family has since reached out to the team to let the Raiders know he's going through "a situation that has occurred in his life before," and Las Vegas is now working with Mayer to help him through his issue.
We don't want to speculate on what that issue might be exactly, but we do wish Mayer the best and hope everything is OK.
The Raiders drafted Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but after a rookie season in which he showed some promise as a pass-catcher and blocker, the team drafted Bowers in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, which has led to less work for the Notre Dame product.
Mayer handled the situation as good as anyone possibly could and has expressed nothing but positive sentiments about Bowers, who has already become one of the better tight ends in the NFL over his first five games.
