Can Brock Bowers Pull Off Something No Tight End Has Ever Done to an NFL Season?

Nobody is doubting that Brock Bowers can play. The guy had 112 catches as a rookie on a team that was basically a tire fire offensively. But here’s the real question now that the Raiders have a new coaching staff and at least a pulse at quarterback: can he actually make history?

ESPN’s Ben Solak fired off some bold predictions for the 2026 season and one of them is that Bowers will become the first tight end ever to win the AP Offensive Player of the Year award. That’s not a typo. No tight end has ever done it. Not Travis Kelce. Not Tony Gonzalez. Not Antonio Gates.

Kelce came closest in 2020 when he tied for fourth with Josh Allen, getting three votes. Last year Arizona’s Trey McBride got a first-place vote after putting up 126 catches for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns. But even that monster season wasn’t enough to beat out Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

So what would it take for Bowers? Probably something like 1,500 yards and double-digit touchdowns with the Raiders winning actual games. Because let’s be real — OPOY voting is always influenced by team success. The voters like rewarding guys on playoff teams or at least teams that aren’t picking in the top five.

Bowers’ rookie numbers were impressive enough: 1,194 yards and five touchdowns with terrible quarterback play and a coaching staff that is now collecting unemployment. Klint Kubiak takes over as head coach this year and brings an offensive system that should create more space for the tight end. If the Raiders get competent quarterback play — and that’s still a big if — Bowers could absolutely put up video game numbers.

You have to remember what Bowers was working with last season. The offensive line was a mess. The quarterbacks were Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. And he still led all rookies in receptions. The guy is a mismatch against linebackers and safeties, runs crisp routes, and has reliable hands.

But here’s the thing about OPOY. Wide receivers and running backs have dominated that award because they’re the ones putting up the gaudy touchdown numbers. A tight end winning it would be like a kicker winning MVP — it just doesn’t happen unless the season is truly supernatural.

Kelce’s 2020 season was special and it still wasn’t close. Bowers would need to shatter what Kelce did while dragging the Raiders to like 10 wins. That’s a tall order for a team that has won more than eight games once in the last eight years.

Still, it’s fun to think about. The Raiders have been starved for something to get excited about and Bowers is the real deal. If Kubiak’s offense clicks and Bowers stays healthy, September can’t get here fast enough.