What could Raiders get from Dolphins for Michael Mayer?

A look at possible compensation in potential trade

Monday, there were reports that the Miami Dolphins may have interest in trading for Las Vegas Raiders third-year tight end Michael Mayer now that they traded Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers and that Miami has been eying the Notre Dame product for a while.

So, today, let’s look at the fun part (or maybe not so fun) of a possible trade between the Raiders and Dolphins. What could be a realistic return from Miami for Mayer?

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Monday afternoon the Raiders have no interest in dealing Mayer, but that shouldn’t stop Miami from making an offer.

Here is a look at some possible compensation results:

Draft picks:

This is the usual route teams take to trades, so let’s start here. The Raiders (a previous regime) traded up to take Mayer with the No. 35 pick in the 2023 draft. It would be stunning if they got a second-round pick in return. Their best hope is likely a third-round pick. Unless, the Dolphins are desperate to acquire Mayer (and they might be), it might be hard to get them to agree with that cost. I could see it being a conditional draft based on Mayer’s 2025 production. So, maybe a fourth-round pick that could become a third based on certain statistical goals.

Current Dolphins players:

The Jalen Ramsey and Smith trade with Pittsburgh that brought safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to Miami shows the Dolphins are willing to do player-for-player swaps. So, the Raiders are probably perusing Miami’s roster to see if there are any need fits to part of a Mayer trade. While Mayer was a high draft pick recently and he and he turns 24 this week and he has big potential, he is still a backup. So, the Dolphins may be offering players in similar situations in return. The Dolphins could offer players like safety Ashtyn Davis, whose job was affected by Fitzpatrick’s arrival, defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, linebackers Willie Gay, K.J. Britt (who was in Tampa Bay with Raiders general manager John Spytek) or Quinton Bell or offensive lineman Jackson Carman or Liam Eichenberg, the brother of Raiders’ linebacker Tommy Eichenberg in a package for Mayer.

Added wrinkle:

The Dolphins are also reportedly interested in adding at cornerback, so perhaps the Raiders could throw in a cornerback to help strengthened their return. of course, that is not a huge area of strength for the Raiders and they could use some help there as well.

Conclusion:

The Raiders aren’t just going to give away Mayer. They like the way he fits into this offense, so if the offer isn’t strong, they won’t bite. It goes back to how much Miami really wants Mayer.