The Las Vegas Raiders were fortunate to have Georgia tight end Brock Bowers fall into their lap with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Although this meant that they missed out on all six first-round quarterback prospects, this selection was a no-brainer for then-general manager Tom Telesco.
Bowers had a rookie season of epic proportions, catching 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns. Despite a wildly subpar quarterback room, Bowers was able to set multiple tight end and rookie receiving records, and he rewrote the Raiders' history books as well.
With new quarterback Geno Smith now under center and a solid run game in place to keep defenses honest, Bowers could easily exceed the lofty expectations that he garnered after a strong rookie season.
Brock Bowers could receive jaw-dropping extension from Raiders
Although he is just a year into his NFL career, Raider Nation has already begun thinking about locking Bowers in for the long-term. While there are restrictions on exactly when he could sign an extension, NFL.com's Anthony Holzman-Escareno believes that it will be a hefty investment for Las Vegas when it inevitably happens.
"Bowers isn't eligible for an extension until after the 2026 season, but whenever he does put pen to paper, I expect the compensation to look far closer to that of an elite wide receiver," Holzman-Escareno wrote. "Bowers put together the best season by a rookie tight end in NFL history and has already made his case for the title of league's best TE."
According to Spotrac, Bowers is making an average of $4.5 million per year on his rookie deal. By comparison, the highest-paid tight end in the NFL is George Kittle, who makes $19.1 million annually, and Trey McBride is not too far behind at $19.0 million per year.
RELATED:Raiders' Brock Bowers receives glowing review from legendary NFL TE
The Raiders could easily afford this kind of contract for their All-Pro tight end, but if Bowers' compensation is closer to that of an elite wide receiver, things may get dicey in Las Vegas. If "elite" is used loosely, then that would mean Bowers could be paid like a top 10 wideout in 2026.
To put that into perspective, eight of the top 10 wide receiver contracts include an average annual salary of $30 million or more. The Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase reset the market this offseason with a staggering $40.3 million per year, and the average among the top 10 is north of $32 million annually.
This is obviously a steep price for any player, but with another elite season, Bowers could work his way into this conversation. One could easily argue that he had as much impact on the game as almost any of these receivers did a year ago, so positional value can be thrown out the window.
As evidenced by the three-year, $106.5 million extension that Maxx Crosby signed this offseason, new general manager John Spytek has already proven that he does not mind forking out the big bucks to keep homegrown talent in Las Vegas. The Raiders may have a young tight end who is already on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and that comes with a cost.
More Raiders news