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The Las Vegas Raiders‘ quarterback room has gone through some major changes in just a couple of years. As recent as 2021, the team had one of the strongest quarterback rooms in the NFL led by starter Derek Carr and backup Marcus Mariota. Though Carr rarely got injured, Mariota was considered one of the best backups in the league.
After backing up Carr for two seasons, Mariota landed a starting gig with the Atlanta Falcons. However, the quarterback wasn’t able to reinvigorate his career. The Falcons benched him for the final four games of the season. The team released him after the season but he didn’t remain a free agent long. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Mariota has signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’ll get $5 million with the chance to get to $8 million with incentives.
The Eagles are a good landing spot for Mariota. He’s not going to compete for a starting spot as Jalen Hurts emerged as one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL last season. However, Hurts takes a lot of hits with his playing style and has already missed games due to injury. Mariota has a similar playing style to Hurts so if the star quarterback has to miss any time, he could come in and keep the team afloat.
Is Mariota Done Being a Starter?
Mariota was massively hyped coming out of Oregon in 2015. The Heisman Trophy winner was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and was expected to be a superstar. While he has had some good moments, he has never been a good enough passer to find consistent success. He’s also had really bad injury luck over the years.
Mariota will turn 30 next season and it’s hard to imagine he’s going to take a leap as he gets older. After his failed stint with the Falcons, he has likely cemented himself as a backup for the rest of his career. He does have value as a backup due to his starting experience. He’ll continue to get work for a long time and will play some games. That said, it’s hard to imagine a team signing him with the expectation of him being a full-time starter again.
Jimmy Garoppolo Signing Official
The Raiders have made a big move at quarterback this offseason with the decision to replace Derek Carr with Jimmy Garoppolo. However, it appeared that Garoppolo to Las Vegas was almost in jeopardy. The quarterback was supposed to officially sign with the Raiders on Thursday, March 16, and the media was at the team’s facilities for his press conference. Garoppolo never showed up and the team announced they were postponing the press conference until the following day.
This led to speculation that something was amiss. Garoppolo has a well-documented injury history. When players sign with new teams, they have to undergo physicals. Some thought that perhaps the quarterback failed his physical. That doesn’t appear to be the case. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Raiders have officially signed the quarterback.
While many are lukewarm on the Garoppolo addition, many of the best quarterback options aren’t available to the Raiders anymore. Losing out on Garoppolo would’ve been bad news for the team but it’s looking like there was nothing to worry about.
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