The Las Vegas Raiders head into training camp with a new franchise QB in Fernando Mendoza, a massive investment on the offensive line, and a roster that looks a whole lot different than it did 12 months ago. Tom Brady has publicly backed Mendoza but made it clear the kid has to earn it. Tyler Linderbaum got $81 million over three years. Optimism is real. But roster rebuilds come with a dark side: saying goodbye to guys who thought they were safe.
Here are two Raiders who could be cutting it close — and not in a good way.
Isaiah Pola-Mao Went From 17-Game Starter to Roster Bubble
Sounds strange, right? A free safety who started every game last season, racked up 92 tackles and two picks, and has the kind of 6-foot-4 frame coaches drool over. On paper, Pola-Mao looks like a building block. But the tape tells a different story. According to Silver and Black Pride, Pola-Mao allowed 582 receiving yards and six touchdowns in coverage last year. He got burned deep too often and missed way too many tackles for a guy who’s supposed to be the last line of defense. That’s a bad combination.
Then the Raiders went and grabbed Treydan Stukes in the second round and Dalton Johnson in the fifth. Stukes can play safety or slide into the slot. Johnson is cheap and under team control for four years. Jeremy Chinn is already on the roster and expected to take a big role. Teams usually carry four or five safeties. It’s hard to see the Raiders leaving Chinn and Stukes home. Johnson’s draft capital likely gives him an edge for the other spot.
Pola-Mao is entering the final year of his contract. Young replacements cost less and fit the timeline better. He could stick around as a backup or special teams contributor, but the days of him walking in as a starter are gone. He’s got one training camp to prove he’s more than a depth piece.
Michael Mayer Is Stuck Behind a Superstar at Tight End
The Raiders traded up to grab Mayer early in the second round of the 2023 draft. He was supposed to be a complete tight end. A blocker who could also work the middle of the field and become a real weapon in the passing game. Three years later, he’s still waiting for that breakout to happen. He’s shown flashes as a blocker and a reliable short-route target, but he never became the consistent receiving threat the front office hoped for.
Then Brock Bowers showed up in 2024 and instantly became the guy. There’s no competition there. Bowers can line up anywhere, command targets, and create mismatches that dictate how the whole tight end room gets used. Mayer has been the second option ever since. Klint Kubiak likes two- and three-tight-end sets, so there’s a role for Mayer. But the Raiders have to ask themselves how many tight ends they’re willing to keep.
The 2026 season is the final year of Mayer’s rookie deal. Expectations haven’t faded, but the Raiders brought in Connor Heyward, a hybrid fullback/tight end who also plays special teams. That kind of versatility often wins out over a former high pick whose best skill overlaps with the starter. They also re-signed Ian Thomas and have younger TEs fighting for spots. The current coaching staff didn’t draft Mayer, and new regimes don’t carry the same attachment to inherited players.
A trade makes more sense than a straight cut. Other teams might look at Mayer and see a starting-caliber tight end whose stats got buried by Bowers. But if he can’t prove to Kubiak that he’s more than just a backup, his role could shrink to near-zero in an offense that runs through Mendoza and Bowers. Training camp will tell the story.
The Raiders spent the offseason building around their rookie QB. That sometimes means cutting ties with guys who once felt like core pieces. Mayer and Pola-Mao both have talent. Whether that talent fits the new plan is a question that’ll get answered on the practice field.
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