Raiders Announce Unfortunate Update on Important Starter
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Las Vegas Raiders TE Michael Mayer.
The Las Vegas Raiders are eliminated from the playoffs, so the team is simply playing for pride the rest of the season. Considering they still have three division rivalry games left, it should be easy to find motivation.
This week, the Raiders play the Los Angeles Chargers, but they’re going to be without an important player. The team announced that tight end Michael Mayer has been ruled out for the game due to an ankle injury.
Head coach Pete Carroll noted that Mayer is not “moving at all.” The ankle injury sounds serious, and could hold him out beyond this game. This is the latest frustration that Mayer has had to deal with. Since being a second-round pick in 2023, the Raiders have spoken very highly of him, but he hasn’t been that productive on the field. The team’s wide receiver corps is very weak, so Mayer has been starting alongside fellow tight end Brock Bowers. It’ll now be up to Bowers to take to lead the charge at tight end without the extra help.
Raiders Not Making Big Changes on Offense
Greg Olson is taking over playcalling duties from the recently fired Chip Kelly this week. It’s not a great time for him not to have a key weapon like Mayer.
The Raiders offense was a trainwreck under Kelly, but Olson acknowledged there’s not much he can do to change things in the middle of the season.
“Well, it’s difficult to change a whole lot, and anyone that goes into an offensive system, anyone, a quarterback would tell you, it’s oftentimes like learning a new language,” Olson told reporters on Thursday. “So, at this point, there’s not a lot that you would change in terms of how we’re calling things, terminology wise. But there are tweaks that you can make and certainly that we’re making to try and be more efficient, because we haven’t been efficient enough.
“At this point, with six games to go, we will make some tweaks, but there won’t be a lot of wholesale changes that you’ll see.”
Olson Wants Jeanty to Touch Ball More
One thing Olson will likely do differently from Kelly is not to abandon the run game early. He wants to get Ashton Jeanty the ball.
“Yeah, no question, and that’s part of the reason why we drafted him where we did,” Olson said. “Touches – whether it be the passing game or the run game, screen game, quick game. I think there’s a lot of things that he can do besides run the football.
“But how do you get the ball in your players’ hands, your best players’ hands? And he’s one of our best players, so we’ve got to find more ways to get him the ball.”
If the Raiders are going to move the ball on the ground, they need the offensive line to play better.
“When you look across the league, the successful teams are the teams that run the ball when they want to run it, not just to run it to maintain balance,” Olson said. “But we’ve got to get in the mindset of when we want to run the football, we’ll run the football, no matter what the situation or who we’re playing.
“A lot of people talk about balance, and certainly we’re looking for balance in the fourth quarter, but we’ve just got to get better at that part of what we’re doing.”
After Learning He's No Longer in the Team's Plans, Star LB with Over 400 Career Tackles Expresses Desire to Stay – Willing to Take a Pay Cut Just to Wear the Steelers Jersey One More Time
The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering a turbulent stretch, as recent losses and a tightening salary-cap picture force the franchise to consider major roster decisions ahead of the 2026 offseason. In the middle of all the uncertainty, one story has struck deeper than the standings: the future of veteran linebacker
According to multiple reports, Highsmith is no longer included in the team’s long-term plans
No anger. No resentment. Just the honest words of a man who doesn’t want his Pittsburgh journey to end this way.
“If this really is the final line, I can’t just stand here and accept it. I’m willing to give up every privilege, willing to take a pay cut or do whatever it takes… just to run onto the field in black and gold one more time. To me, Pittsburgh isn’t just a team – it’s where my heart belongs.”
Those words sent a tremor through Steelers Nation. For years, Highsmith has been the embodiment of grit – a quiet third-round pick who turned himself into a vital piece alongside T.J. Watt. He was never the loudest guy in the room, but his devotion to Pittsburgh never wavered.
As the front office weighs its options with Herbig and the harsh realities of the salary cap, Highsmith’s message reminds everyone that football isn’t only about numbers. It’s also about loyalty, sacrifice, and the pride of wearing the black-and-gold crest.
His future remains uncertain, but one thing is unmistakably clear: whether he stays or leaves, Alex Highsmith has delivered a powerful reminder of what it means to be a Steeler – to fight not just for wins, but for the family you find in Pittsburgh.
