Brock Bowers will not sign a contract extension with the Las Vegas Raiders this year. He can’t. NFL rules say so.
For the Raiders to future-proof their franchise, they will have to wait until after the 2026 season. Until then, the price tag won’t look like it does today. And that can be a problem. or is it?
There are three tight ends sitting ahead of Brock Bowers in line for new deals. Those players are about to have new deals and when the riders are ready to extend or give their studs a new deal it could make a huge difference in a tight market.
Sam LaPorta in Detroit, Tucker Craft in Green Bay, and Kyle Pitts in Atlanta are set to reset a resurgent tight end market in the NFL. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported earlier this month, based on conversations with league officials, that Laporta and Krafth are both in a position to increase their salaries to above $19 million per season. Pitts will hit the open market next offseason and could make an absolute splash if he reaches free agency.
That’s the part that should concern general manager Jon Spytek.
Brock Bowers in a league of his own?
The 23-year-old Bowers is still playing on a four-year, $18.1 million rookie contract signed through 2024. Spotrac lists his average annual value at approximately $4.5 million, which ranks him 32nd among NFL tight ends. He set rookie records with 112 catches and 1,194 receiving yards at age 21, and was named All-Pro and Pro Bowl in his first two seasons.
The current top of the tight end market is San Francisco’s George Kittle at $19.1 million per year, while Arizona’s Trey McBride is essentially flat at $19 million as well. Apart from those two, the situation deteriorates rapidly. It’s that difference that makes Laporta, Craft and Pitts set the standard for Bowers and Spytek.
Bowers may end up in a different conversation entirely.
NFL.com senior researcher Anthony Holzman-Escareno argued last year that Bowers’ next contract would be benchmarked against specific wide receivers, not tight ends. The top 10 wideouts in the league average $32 million per season. Ja’Marr Chase reset that market at $40.3 million per year last season in Cincinnati. Of course, Bowers won’t be getting Chase’s money, but the floor for his extension continues to grow.
Their use is proof that he is moving in that direction. After trading away Davante Adams in 2024 and Jakobi Meyers in 2025, the Raiders failed to add a proven veteran wide receiver in either of the following two offseasons. Bowers became the offense’s top option by default. New head coach Clint Kubiak, who spent last season leading the offense in Seattle, is expected to be relied upon even more.
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Raiders continue to rely on Bowers as key to offense
Brock Bowers missed five games due to a PCL injury in the first week of the 2025 season and returned in Week 9 against Jacksonville, catching 12 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns, then played in 11 more games before going on injured reserve in late December. The final line: 64 receptions, 680 yards, seven scores. Pro Bowl number two was locked in and his value to the franchise was cemented.
There’s no doubt that GM Jon Spytek will spend to keep his guys. The second-year general manager signed defensive end Max Crosby to a three-year, $106.5 million extension through 2025, the richest non-quarterback contract in franchise history. They gave Meyers wide receiver money last summer and traded him in return. The pattern is becoming clear: pay the homegrown stars, and don’t move the rest.
Cap space is not the issue here. Over the Cap projects the Raiders will make $207.5 million in 2028, 13th-most in the league. This covers the first year of any Bowers deal with plenty of room left.
The point is the order in which things happen.
Every tight end who signs before Bowers raises his ceiling and costs Spytek and the Raiders. In Detroit, Laporta will likely end up this summer. Could be in craft training camp. Pitts is expected to hit the open market next spring. Each of those numbers becomes the new comp and will set the standard for how much Bowers will cost the Raiders. By the time the spytech picks up the phone, the negotiations and costs will have escalated.
Bowers gets a base salary of $1.07 million and a roster bonus of $1.36 million in 2026, just under the cap hit of $4.95 million.
Las Vegas opens the season on September 13 against Miami at Allegiant Stadium.
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