Could the Bengals bring the Northern Kentucky native back to Paycor Stadium?
The Cincinnati Bengals have plenty of work to do this offseason, but for yet another year of the Joe Burrow era, the tight end position is a question mark going into free agency/draft.
The Bengals have seen CJ Uzomah, Hayden Hurst, Irv Smith Jr., and Mike Gesicki in the past few years, but there is no long-term starter currently on the roster yet again.
With that being said, a familiar name has resurfaced with the Las Vegas Raiders putting former second-round pick and Northern Kentucky native Michael Mayer on the trade block.
The Bengals passed on Mayer back in the 2023 NFL Draft for defensive end Myles Murphy but now have an opportunity to bring the 23-year-old into a pass-heavy offense with Burrow and company.
Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic reported this:
Raiders are shopping Michael Mayer and are open to other trade discussions
The Raiders have had discussions with teams who have interest in tight end Michael Mayer, according to league sources. Mayer hasn’t had the impact the Raiders hoped for when he was drafted in the second round in 2023. He had just 27 catches for 304 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games as a rookie. He missed six games due to personal reasons in 2024 and was delegated to a marginal role due to the ascent of tight end Brock Bowers, who was named a first-team All-Pro.
The Raiders put Mayer in a tricky situation by drafting Bowers just a year after him, and the tight end room quickly became overcrowded.
Could the Bengals make a move and bring in the young tight end and Northern Kentucky native for Burrow?
We shall see.
