Las Vegas Raiders: Marcus Mariota restructure a staggering win for the franchise
By Alex Perl
The Las Vegas Raiders need to do something to rework their deal with backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, and they did so in a very team-friendly way on Tuesday.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota will remain with the franchise in a reworked deal that will see the backup quarterback take a significant pay cut. For Las Vegas, this restructuring will enable them to go after more talent via free agency, but there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of cap space.
Giving back over seven million dollars in a reworked deal will pay Mariota between $3 to $4 million, and he can earn up to $8M in incentives, but this seems highly unlikely with his pathed blocked by incumbent starter Derek Carr.
The move is a staggering win for the Raiders who not only empty out some cap space but have a great backup in Mariota. Also, the reworked deal means the Raiders can get a bigger haul if they consider trading Mariota, as his new contract at $3.5M is much more enticing to teams than it was at $10M.
With a deep quarterback room and expanded cap space, it seems the winners here are the Raiders and the loser unfortunately is Mariota, as the quarterback market has mainly dried up. Expect the phone calls to come for the Raiders for Mariota, and even if they do not, the Raiders have a quality backup for insurance.
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Mariota cited that he respected loyalty when it came to re-signing with the organization, as they have given him the opportunity to get healthy and improve. In addition, Mariota also stated that Las Vegas is considered the ninth island, so playing for the franchise is kind of like playing for his home team.
Overall, this is a great day for the franchise, as they return a very solid player in Mariota, while also getting some money to go fill some of the holes left on both sides of the ball.