Getty Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota.
There’s been a lot of talk about Marcus Mariota this offseason but it looks like he’ll be staying put with the Las Vegas Raiders for the time being. The two sides agreed on a contract restructure that will pay the quarterback significantly less money. While it sounded like Mariota got a raw deal, it now looks like he may have come out okay.
According to Greg A. Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal, Mariota received a no-trade clause in his new contract.
Marcus Mariota received a no-trade clause as part of his renegotiation with the Raiders, according to a league source.
Raiders can’t just deal him anywhere, if it comes to that, or someone comes calling with the post-draft QB fallout.
It’s almost unheard of for a backup quarterback to get a no-trade clause in his contract. The Raiders really like having Mariota to backup Derek Carr so they probably weren’t even thinking about trading him this season. With this news, it seems like the most likely scenario is that Mariota plays out this season with the Raiders and tries his luck in free agency in the offseason. However, it’s still possible that things change.
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Mariota Could Still Get Traded
Just because Mariota has a no-trade clause in his contract doesn’t mean he can’t still get traded. He can easily wave that provision if a promising situation presents itself. It’s clear that the Raiders like having Mariota on the roster but if a team like Washington comes along and makes a solid offer, minds could be changed.
Carr is a durable quarterback and even fought through a groin injury last season. He didn’t end up missing a single start. If the Raiders can get a third-round pick out of Mariota, they should consider it. Of course, the quarterback will have to agree to any trade. If he can go start elsewhere, it’s hard to imagine he’d turn down that opportunity. He basically took last season off to get healthy. It’s hard to tell if he’s still having health issues so he could find it appealing to take it easy for another season while he gets his body 100%. In the end, it’s likely that he stick with the Raiders.
Raiders Have Strong QB Room
With Mariota deciding to restructure his contract, the Raiders could have the best backup quarterback in the NFL. He’d likely be the starter on at least two or three teams in the league right now. Despite having some doubters, Derek Carr is a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. Between him and Mariota, the Raiders are set up really well at quarterback.
What will be very interesting to watch is whether or not Jon Gruden plans to get creative with his quarterbacks. Mariota is an athlete and that was very clear when he did get playing time with the Raiders. He can make plays with his legs that Carr can’t. We’ve seen teams over the last few years start using their athletic quarterbacks in certain packages. Perhaps Gruden draws up some plays for Mariota. The Raiders struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone last year. Maybe Mariota could be part of the solution for that issue.
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