As the rumor mill continues to churn out offseason nuggets on trades and possible free-agent destinations, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota has been connected to another quarterback-needy club.
According to Michael Lombardi of The Athletic, the Washington Football Team is “extremely interested” in Mariota. He joined VSiN host Patrick Meagher with the scoop:
Will the Raiders be a playoff team in 2021?
— VSiN (@VSiNLive) February 12, 2021
@mlombardinfl gives his opinion to @TheWrapRadio as they look back to one of the greatest draft picks of all time. Want more #LombardiLine? Head to https://t.co/3LnVHHdtHa. pic.twitter.com/uPyfyBkTf8
Lombardi brought up a point that’s not talked about enough as it pertains to Mariota’s contract, which has incentives that would significantly increase the value of his deal.
Here’s the fine print on Mariota’s contract, per Over the Cap.
"“Marcus Mariota signed a two year, $17.6 million contract with the Raiders. Mariota received $7.5 million guaranteed, which is his entire base salary in 2020. Mariota can earn a significant bump in salary depending on playing time and team performance. If all incentives were realized the value of the contract would increase by nearly $30 million.”"
As a result, if the Football Team acquires Mariota via trade, they could either restructure his deal or pay at an increased rate if he satisfies those incentives as a starter. Any other club that’s interested in him must consider those contract clauses.
For now, we’ll focus on Washington. What could the Raiders receive in exchange for Mariota? Here are three proposals.