Northern Kentucky football fans have a few NFL storylines to follow this fall. Former Covington Catholic tight end Michael Mayer and former Holy Cross linebacker Derrick Barnes are both playing meaningful roles for teams with playoff hopes. As the league moves through the opening stretch of the 2026 schedule, each has delivered production that reflects both his high school pedigree and his professional development.
Mayer awarded contract extension
Mayer is now in his fourth season with the Las Vegas Raiders. He is emerging as a reliable short‑area target in an offense emphasizing ball control and high‑percentage throws. This is especially true in the absence of starting tight end Brock Bowers, out with an injury. Bowers had a meniscus trim in the first week of September and is expecting to miss some time. Mayer, normally No. 2 on the depth chart, is stepping in for Bowers, starting the first two games.
Mayer, born in Independence, is so important to what the Raiders want to do on offense that they gave him a multiyear contract extension Sept. 12. He is receiving a three-year, $45 million extension that includes $30 million guaranteed, according to multiple NFL sources.
The 6-foot-4, 256-pound tight end came forth in 2025 with his most productive NFL season since being a second-round draft pick (35th overall) out of Notre Dame in 2023. With Bowers missing five games last season due to a knee injury, Mayer stepped in. He played four games, totaling 18 receptions for 196 yards and a touchdown. He finished the season with 35 catches for 328 yards, both career highs. His numbers eclipsed totals put up during his rookie season: 27 receptions for 304 yards with a career-best two TDs. Totaling 92 career receptions and 843 yards, he’s approaching 100 receptions and 1,000 yards.
Mayer, 25, indicated he was looking forward to 2026. Veteran Raiders tight end coach Luke Steckel returned to work with new hire Klint Kubiak. The first-year Las Vegas head coach brought in a new offense. “I need to know the offense like the back of my hand. And I need to keep my head down and I need to work,” Mayer said to the Associated Press. “I’m very, very excited for this season.”
Through the Raiders’ first two games, Mayer has caught nine of 11 targets for 55 yards. That’s helping Las Vegas open 2–0 with wins over Miami and the Los Angeles Chargers. Six of those receptions came in Week 1 against the Dolphins, when Mayer posted 32 yards and converted three first downs in a 27–13 victory. He added three catches for 23 yards in Week 2 at Los Angeles, contributing to a 26–14 win that kept the Raiders atop the AFC West standings.
While Mayer has yet to score a touchdown this season, his consistency has been notable. Four of his nine receptions have moved the chains. His production has been evenly distributing across game situations. A total of 39 yards has come with the score tied, and 16 have come with Las Vegas ahead. This is a sign that quarterback Kirk Cousins trusts the tight end regardless of circumstance. Mayer’s nine receptions rank second on the Raiders. His 11 targets are in a tie for second.
The former Fighting Irish All‑American has also continued to earn praise for his blocking. It’s one of many traits that helped him become one of the most decorated tight ends in Covington Catholic history. He was the Gatorade Kentucky Football Player of the Year for the Colonels in 2019.
Raiders coaches have leaned on Mayer in two‑tight‑end sets and short‑yardage packages for four years. And now, once again, he’s handling the role of emergency fill-in starter. For a franchise that’s spent the past two seasons reshaping its offense, Mayer’s early‑season reliability has been a stabilizing force.
Barnes bursts out of the gate for Lions
In Detroit, linebacker Derrick Barnes has taken on a different kind of responsibility, veteran leadership, after signing his own high-value contract. Born in Covington, Barnes inked a three-year, $25.5 million extension in May of 2025. He continues to play a significant role in the Lions’ front seven while being effective in both run‑support and passing situations.
Detroit coaches praise his preparation and communication skills, qualities that have helped anchor a defense built around aggressive pursuit and gap discipline. His physical style and sideline‑to‑sideline range have made him one of the Lions’ most trusted defenders.
This season, Barnes is stepping into a primary weakside linebacker role following the departure of free-agent veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone. Already a Detroit favorite following his game-sealing interception against Tampa Bay in the 2023 playoffs, Barnes has been an early-season force with a league-leading performance during the first two weeks for 1–1 Detroit.
Barnes, 28, is tied for second on the Lions with 14 tackles. He’s also tied for second with nine solo tackles and two sacks while leading the team with three tackles for loss. He co-leads the Lions with an interception and two passes defended. He ranks tied for ninth in the NFL in sacks and tied for fifth in interceptions.
Barnes’ path from Holy Cross to Purdue to the NFL has been defined by steady improvement. Taken in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, he quickly earned playing time with the Lions thanks to his tackling ability and versatility and got into all 17 games as a rookie. Over the ensuing years, he’s become one of Detroit’s most durable defenders, appearing in at least 15 games in every previous season but one.
Barnes bounced back last season, playing in every game and totaling 78 tackles, second most in his career, and a career-high four sacks, after getting into just three games during an injury-marred 2024. He played 940 snaps last season, 85% of the team total.
Barnes wasn’t impressed. “I feel like I took a step back last year,” he said to local media this summer.
He didn’t. He’s being too hard on himself because his expectations are off the charts. Barnes has been on the field for 92% of snaps so far this season. And why not? The man is a human wrecking ball, and he has been for years, with NFL-caliber instruction.
Barnes was a three-sport standout at Holy Cross, also playing basketball and running track. Coached by former NFL player and Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Bruce Kozerski, he was named first-team all-state and Class 2A, District 6 player of the year as a senior after leading the Indians with 126 tackles and 1,567 yards rushing. Holy Cross advanced to the state semifinals.
For local fans, the parallel rise of Mayer and Barnes offers a reminder of the area’s influence on the national football stage. Mayer’s early‑season production suggests he may be on the verge of a career year as the Raiders continue to integrate him into their passing game.
Barnes, meanwhile, stands on the verge of a career year on a Lions roster built to contend. With the 2026 season still young, both players have ample opportunity to shape their teams’ fortunes — and to give their hometown supporters plenty more to cheer for.
