We saw another significant quarterback domino fall Thursday, which means Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota moves up a spot on the demand list. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, the Indianapolis Colts agreed in principle to acquire quarterback Carson Wentz from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a third-round pick and a conditional 2022 seconder:
Philadelphia has agreed to trade Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-round pick that could turn into a first, league sources tell @mortreport and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 18, 2021
Just a quick side note, the Colts inquired about Derek Carr, and the Raiders had no interest in a deal, per Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star:
League source says Colts were among the teams that checked in on Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr. Received a pretty firm "not available."
— Jim Ayello (@jimayello) February 18, 2021
Let’s focus on realistic potential trade packages that involve Mariota, who could land on the New England Patriots’ radar as quarterbacks come off the market.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss, who covers the Patriots, “warmed up” to the idea that New England could acquire Mariota as a plan B if Jimmy Garoppolo stays in San Francisco.
"With the projected cost to acquire him (later-round pick) and his salary ($10.6 million) reasonable, it would mean New England has flexibility to add another QB should the opportunity present itself later in the offseason (e.g. Garoppolo or a draft pick). But at least initially, Mariota would provide a combination of NFL experience (61 starts), a chance for a functional passing game, and potential high upside as the Patriots start to use their abundant cap space to put some important pieces in place around the QB spot."
Reiss suggested that the Patriots would give up a late-round draft pick for Mariota and still keep their eyes on another signal-caller if someone else such as Garoppolo becomes available. For context, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes the 49ers will stick with Garoppolo unless they take a “big swing” at a quarterback such as Deshaun Watson (h/t Bleacher Report’s Tyler Conway).
Meanwhile, the Houston Texans remain adamant that they’re not interested in trading Watson, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. That leads us back to a potential deal between the Raiders and Patriots.
With Garoppolo in San Francisco, what could Vegas get from New England?