The Raiders are expected to eventually cut or trade Marcus Mariota, but it sounds like there may be another option on the table.
According to Vinny Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, it is still a possibility that the Raiders will keep Mariota on the roster with a restructured deal.
As of now, Mariota is on the books for $10.7 million in 2021 and if it becomes clear that the Raiders are going to keep him, it’s possible that Mariota would agree to re-structure his deal to reduce his salary cap number. He wouldn’t have to lose money in the process (if anything, he would just get money sooner in the form of a bonus).
It’s an interesting situation Mariota is in because reports have indicated that he has essentially stymied trade offers by refusing to adjust his contract. As teams continue to sign quarterbacks, Mariota is potentially losing opportunities and it’s fair to wonder if he may have already missed his chance to be a starting quarterback again.
Maybe the Bears or Washington Football Team are trying to wait out the Raiders to drop Mariota, but how much longer can either team go without addressing the most important position on the roster?
One other detail to remember is that if the Raiders keep Mariota and he leaves next year when his contract expires, the Raiders could be in line for a compensatory pick. His deal might not be cheap, but if the Raiders can get a pick for Mariota in 2022, it might not be the worst idea to keep the best backup quarterback in the NFL around for another year.
twitter: @raidersbeat
The guy played decently in one game yet still had his trademark parent passes that make him a choke artist and why he’s not a starter in the league today. 10 million bucks for this guy? What are you kidding me.
*errant passes…
Philadelphia got a 3rd round pick this year and 1st or 2nd next year for Carson wentz. I believe it works that if Wentz has a good year then they have to give philly their 1st rounder and if he has a **** year a 2nd round pick. I believe Mariota is as good if not better than wentz. We should hold out for a minimum 3rd rounder and if not we keep him hopefully re-structre his contract and its really good carr insurance in case we’re in the hunt and carr goes down like in 2016. And I think our compensatory pick if he goes in free agency would be a 3rd rounder. I would hate to go 12-4 and then have to rely on peterman like we did drew Stanton to start a playoff game
If Gruden was smart, he would devise plays for Mariota in the wildcat when the Raiders get down into the red zone. I could see Mariota scoring an avg of 1 TD per game throughout the season. If he plans to waste Mariotas talents like last year then the Raiders should just release him, cut their cap even further and pick up a high priced veteran EDGE that’s a proven commodity in the NFL to improve on their pass rush. PERIOD!!!