Getty Marcus Mariota of the Las Vegas Raiders.
For a while, it looked like Marcus Mariota’s days as a Las Vegas Raider were numbered. There was some chatter about him getting traded but it started to look like he might just get released outright. The two sides were finally able to come to an agreement on a new contract for the quarterback that will see his cap hit decrease quite a bit.
Some players around the league didn’t appreciate how the Raiders handled things. Essentially, the team waited until all the possible starting quarterback jobs were filled and forced Mariota to renegotiate his contract. Despite some being mad, Mariota himself seems to be happy.
“I think at the end of the day. I focus on controlling what I can control,” Mariota told Rob DeMello of KHON2 on Tuesday. “That’s the product in the field. Every day I wake up, I train, and get ready to go. At the end of the day, we’re very blessed to play this game for a living. A lot of us make a really good amount of money. For me, I just love playing the game. The excitement, the opportunity to be a Raider, overcame all of that. To be here in Vegas, to be a part of this organization meant a lot more to me. I’m excited to be able to come back.”
Las Vegas, Nevada is known as Hawaii’s ninth island due to the high population of Hawaiians. There’s no better place in the NFL for Mariota to be if he’s looking to be reminded of home.
“I’m just excited to be a Raider,” Mariota told DeMello Tuesday. “Everyone talks about Las Vegas being the 9th island. For me, this is the closest I can get for playing for my hometown. That in itself is such a special opportunity. I’m just excited to come back and get ready to go.”
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Mariota Appreciates Raiders Allowing Him to Get Healthy
The last few years haven’t gone great for Mariota. He’s gotten hurt a number of times, lost his starting job in Tennessee and missed most of last season with an injury. Fortunately, the Raiders gave him a chance to really take his time to get his body right last year. He missed most of the season while the team made him the highest-paid backup in the NFL. Mariota appreciates what the Raiders have done for him so far.
“I think at the end of the day the adversities, the challenges that you face, ultimately will kind of develop who you are,” Mariota said. “I’m just excited to hopefully get over that hump. I feel like I’ve gotten healthy. I have an opportunity to have a little bit of stability, something that’s kind of been elusive in my career. I’m just excited to be in a place that I’m comfortable. I’m confident. I’m just going to do everything I can help this team win.”
Mariota Will Likely Stay With Team for 2021
Now that Mariota’s contract is more digestible, it’s possible that teams reach out to the Raiders about a trade. While they’ll likely listen, it seems like they’d rather keep him for 2021. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock are big fans of Mariota.
They also know how important it is to have a capable backup quarterback. Unless a team is willing to pay Las Vegas a decent price, Mariota should be a Raider for the entirety of 2021.
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