- Marcus Mariota News
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- Marcus Mariota
- Marcus Mariota Stats
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- Marcus Mariota Highlights
Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston Getty Images (2) 'I wouldn't discount looking at someone like Las Vegas' Marcus Mariota or New Orleans' Jameis Winston and then looking at the draft, as. Marcus Mariota success helps Las Vegas Raiders in many ways The success of Marcus Mariota on Thursday night put him back on the NFL map and will be great for the Las Vegas Raiders in many ways. If Marcus Mariota starts against Tua Tagovailoa on Saturday, it will mark just the sixth time QBs from the same high school have faced off in the NFL. Anthony Holzman-Escareno explains why the. With Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr missing at least one more game and possibly two after suffering a groin injury on Thursday night, backup Marcus Mariota will get at least one more. Marcus Mariota contract, free agency Mariota was a free agent following the 2019 season, the final season on his rookie deal, and left the team that drafted him for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Marcus Mariota News
With Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr missing at least one more game and possibly two after suffering a groin injury on Thursday night, backup Marcus Mariota will get at least one more chance to make a good second impression on the league.
Mariota played incredibly well on Thursday night. He moved well, threw well, made good decisions. His one mistake, a ball thrown a bit behind receiver Zay Jones, became a field-flipping interception return thanks to a bang-bang fluke that had the ball hit Jones in the hand and pop into the air as Chargers cornerback Chris Harris, Jr. snatched it on the run. (Mariota hustled to save a touchdown by pulling down Harris from behind.)
Actually, one of Mariota's more impressive plays happened when he was out of the pocket near the goal line. With a defender approaching fast, Mariota had both the presence of mind and the physical dexterity to quickly release a throw out of the end zone, avoiding a sack.
Marcus Mariota Stats
The second overall pick in the 2015 draft also looks older and seems more mature after five seasons in Tennessee that ended with a midseason benching for Ryan Tannehill in 2019. What once seemed to be a soft-spoken shyness now comes across as quiet confidence.
His performance against the Chargers will get teams that may be looking for quarterbacks in 2021 to notice. It also could get the Raiders to think about balancing Derek Carr's $19.625 million compensation package against Mariota's $10 million salary for 2021.
The Raiders also could try to subtly gauge trade interest in Carr or Mariota. Maybe the best offer they get for one of them helps make the decision.
Regardless, someone will want Mariota in 2021, if he plays next weekend the same way he played last night. The Raiders, by virtue of having him under contract for 2021, will have dibs.
Marcus Mariota's 2021 audition will continue originally appeared on Pro Football Talk
![Marcus Marcus](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_736,h_485,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Ftitansized.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1164028670-850x560.jpeg)
Leading up to this week, it was a foregone conclusion that the Raiders would part ways with Marcus Mariota's contract after the 2020 season. Mariota made (or will make) $9.125 million this year and through 13 weeks, it was money the Raiders probably wished they had spent elsewhere.
Next year Mariota's cap number will be just above $10.7 million, but after his solid performance against the Chargers, the Raiders have to feel like his contract is something they have to consider going forward.
Marcus Mariota
Essentially these are the Raiders four options with Mariota going forward…
![Marcus Marcus](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wQ30E86N1XU/hqdefault.jpg)
Keep Mariota around as Derek Carr's backup
It wouldn't be the most salary cap friendly option, but Jon Gruden obviously values a solid backup quarterback. On Thursday night, the presence of a starter-quality backup almost keptthe Raiders' season afloat when Carr left the game with a groin injury.
If Gruden welcomed Mariota for $9.1 million in year one, maybe he'd view another $1.6 million in 2021 as just a drop in the bucket. Of course, $10 million might also buy the team another defensive player or two. That might be nice, too.
Marcus Mariota Stats
Trade Mariota for a defensive player or draft capital
There are two games remaining on the Raiders schedule and Mariota may have both games to audition for a starting job in 2021. Based on what he showed on Thursday night, there are plenty of teams that would improve by making Mariota their starting quarterback.
Marcus Mariota Instagram
If Sam Bradford was worth a first-round pick via trade, it's not inconceivable that a team would be willing to give a third or fourth-round pick for Mariota. A few teams that come to mind are New England, Washington, San Francisco, New York (Jets), or even Cincinnati as they move into the 2021 season with some uncertainty around the status of Joe Burrow's knee.
Imagine getting a mid-round draft pick and clearing a $10 million salary in the process.
![Marcus Marcus](http://fabwags.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/nicole-watase.jpg)
Keep Mariota, trade Carr
The backup quarterback is very often the most popular player on the roster among the fans… but what about the mind of Gruden?
Teams come calling for Carr every offseason and the Raiders haven't come close to trading him yet. 2020 was Carr's best season as a pro, so whatever the Raiders were offered a year ago, the offers should only go up. Contrary to popular narrative, Gruden has pretty much tied himself to Carr, so it will take a lot to convince him to hit the reset button at quarterback.
![Marcus Mariota Marcus Mariota](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/1192735385.jpg)
For what it's worth, it sounds like the coaching staff was as shocked as anyone by what Mariota did off the bench on Thursday night. Mariota wasn't known to stand out as a great practice player in Tennessee and it sounds like a similar situation is playing out in Las Vegas this year.
Cut Mariota
Leading up to this week, it was a foregone conclusion that the Raiders would part ways with Marcus Mariota's contract after the 2020 season. Mariota made (or will make) $9.125 million this year and through 13 weeks, it was money the Raiders probably wished they had spent elsewhere.
Next year Mariota's cap number will be just above $10.7 million, but after his solid performance against the Chargers, the Raiders have to feel like his contract is something they have to consider going forward.
Marcus Mariota
Essentially these are the Raiders four options with Mariota going forward…
Keep Mariota around as Derek Carr's backup
It wouldn't be the most salary cap friendly option, but Jon Gruden obviously values a solid backup quarterback. On Thursday night, the presence of a starter-quality backup almost keptthe Raiders' season afloat when Carr left the game with a groin injury.
If Gruden welcomed Mariota for $9.1 million in year one, maybe he'd view another $1.6 million in 2021 as just a drop in the bucket. Of course, $10 million might also buy the team another defensive player or two. That might be nice, too.
Marcus Mariota Stats
Trade Mariota for a defensive player or draft capital
There are two games remaining on the Raiders schedule and Mariota may have both games to audition for a starting job in 2021. Based on what he showed on Thursday night, there are plenty of teams that would improve by making Mariota their starting quarterback.
Marcus Mariota Instagram
If Sam Bradford was worth a first-round pick via trade, it's not inconceivable that a team would be willing to give a third or fourth-round pick for Mariota. A few teams that come to mind are New England, Washington, San Francisco, New York (Jets), or even Cincinnati as they move into the 2021 season with some uncertainty around the status of Joe Burrow's knee.
Imagine getting a mid-round draft pick and clearing a $10 million salary in the process.
Keep Mariota, trade Carr
The backup quarterback is very often the most popular player on the roster among the fans… but what about the mind of Gruden?
Teams come calling for Carr every offseason and the Raiders haven't come close to trading him yet. 2020 was Carr's best season as a pro, so whatever the Raiders were offered a year ago, the offers should only go up. Contrary to popular narrative, Gruden has pretty much tied himself to Carr, so it will take a lot to convince him to hit the reset button at quarterback.
For what it's worth, it sounds like the coaching staff was as shocked as anyone by what Mariota did off the bench on Thursday night. Mariota wasn't known to stand out as a great practice player in Tennessee and it sounds like a similar situation is playing out in Las Vegas this year.
Cut Mariota
Marcus Mariota Highlights
It's crazy how quickly things change in the NFL. All of a sudden it feels like Mariota is too good to just dump into the free agent pool after the season.
But again, let's see where we're at a week from now.
Understanding that the Raiders still have two regular season games to play (that's an eternity in NFL storylines), it seems like it would make the most sense for the team to field offers for Mariota after the season and if they don't get what they want, just keep him around as a backup… or cut him to add defensive help.
Ideally, Gruden won't allow a QB media circus to ensue the way he did a year ago, but who knows, maybe he enjoys that kind of thing more than he lets on.
twitter: @raidersbeat