Brock Bowers, Raiders Agree to 4-Year, $18M Rookie Contract After 2024 NFL Draft

The Las Vegas Raiders and Brock Bowers have agreed to terms on the tight end's rookie contract.

Bowers agreed to his four-year deal with a fully-guaranteed $18.1 million on Thursday, the team announced.

Bowers' selection by the Raiders with the No. 13 pick in the 2024 draft was a bit of a surprise. They were a wild card leading up to the draft with no obvious fit, though they were frequently connected to Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

Once the Atlanta Falcons took Penix at No. 8, it left the Raiders in a position to simply take the best player available on their board when their turn came up. It turned out to be Bowers, despite the team using the No. 35 pick in 2023 on Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer.

First-year general manager Tom Telesco explained the addition of Bowers gave the Raiders an opportunity to add "another dimension to the offense" with two tight ends:

"We're looking to add more playmakers to the offense, and they come in all shapes and sizes, in all different positions. And we love Michael Mayer—I love Michael Mayer—and he's a really good player. He's going to take another big jump this year. But you get a chance to add just another dimension to the offense, whether it's a tight end, hybrid receiver, whatever it is, you need more playmakers on that side of the ball."

B/R's Derrik Klassen noted Bowers has "has rare vision and balance for a tight end." He also earns high marks for his blocking ability, with San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle cited as his pro comparison.

Bowers, 21, won the John Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end in each of the past two years. He was Georgia's leading receiver in each of his three college seasons.

Since the Raiders didn't make an obvious upgrade at quarterback during the offseason, the next-best thing they could do was surround that position with as many playmakers as possible.

The combination of Bowers, Mayer, Davante Adams is very intriguing. If Aidan O'Connell or Gardner Minshew II, whichever one ends up starting for the Raiders, can get them involved consistently without making mistakes, this offense could be a surprise unit in 2024.

Las Vegas hasn't ranked in the top 10 in yards or points per game since 2020. Its last winning season was in 2021, when it lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card round.