Vince Mayle

Vincent Jerome Mayle ( ; born June 12, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college basketball for Shasta College, and college football for Sierra College and the Washington State Cougars.

Early life Vincent Mayle was born June 12, 1991, in Sacramento, California, to Renee Mayle. He has two older siblings: a sister, Tinea, and a brother, John. He was raised in a single-parent household in Natomas, California, a suburb of Sacramento. Tinea Mayle described him as ambitious but quiet, preferring to shock people with his actions and achievements rather than tell them about himself. Efn|Mayle has often been mistaken for LeBron James, whom he strongly resembles. He was pleased to be picked by the Cleveland Browns in the 2015 NFL Draft, in part, because James played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mayle later admitted that despite his success on the football field, he almost never watched football on television.

Mayle was not a good student, however, and although he graduated high school in 2009 his grades were so poor that he was not eligible under NCAA rules to play sports at a four-year college or university. But as a power forward, Mayle discovered he was too small and his peers too skilled for him to have much of a career playing basketball. Nevertheless, he averaged 8 points per game. When his mother suffered an accident in the summer of 2010, Mayle was recruited by a number of notable four-year collegiate football programs, including Arizona State University, Louisiana State University, Ohio State University, Texas A&M University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Houston, the University of Miami, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of West Virginia. Mayle later recalled that this comment cut deeply, but also motivated him to get back on track athletically.

Professional career

Pre-draft

CBS Sports analyst Rob Rang said in November 2014 that he expected Mayle to be picked in the fourth or fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft. Rang called him "a pretty spectacular athlete", but felt he ran routes a little sloppily and occasionally lost his focus on the ball. But he had excellent speed and acceleration, and good evasion skills. He was the highest WSU wide receiver picked in the draft pick since Jason Hill was selected in the third round in 2007. Efn After the draft was over, Scout.com speculated that Mayle might have been taken earlier, but the injury to his thumb caused teams to pass him over.

Dallas Cowboys On September 8, 2015, he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to their practice squad. On October 10, he was promoted to the active roster. Three days later he was waived and re-signed to the practice squad. On December 30, Mayle signed a 3-year, $1.575 million contract to return to the Cowboys.

On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Cowboys and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on November 16, after tight end Geoff Swaim was lost for the season with an injury. He was used on special teams and to contribute as a blocker in the running game from his wide receiver position, but struggled with penalties. He was waived on December 29, to make room for offensive lineman Ryan Seymour, who was needed for depth purposes in the last game of the season, in order to rest some of the starters for the postseason play.

Baltimore Ravens On December 30, 2016, Mayle was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Ravens, to secure his rights for the 2017 season. He was declared inactive for the week 17th game.

In 2017, he was moved to tight end during organized team activities. He was the fourth-string tight end and made the team mainly because of his special teams contributions.

On September 1, 2018, Mayle was waived by the Ravens.

Los Angeles Chargers On September 25, 2018, Mayle was signed to the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad.

Mayle signed a reserve/future contract with the Chargers on January 14, 2019. He was waived/injured during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, and reverted to the team's injured reserve list the next day. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 10.

Toronto Argonauts Mayle signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League on January 27, 2020. He signed a contract extension with the team on December 29, 2020. On February 22, 2021, Mayle was released by the Argonauts.