Mariota to take pay cut, re-sign with Raiders

Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota has agreed to restructure his contract and return to the Raiders, a team source confirmed to this news organization Tuesday.

Mariota, who was in jeopardy of being released by the Raiders had he not redone his deal, is signing a one-year, $3.5 million deal, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. If Mariota is pressed into service in relief of starter Derek Carr for an extended period, he’ll have an opportunity to earn up to $8 million next season.

Mariota, 27, signed a two-year contract worth $17.6 million plus incentives and his 2021 cap number was in excess of $15 million — second only to Carr on the roster and higher than that of recently signed defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

The deal Mariota signed last season was based on the possibility he could push Carr and at some point in the season compete to be the starter. Or at the very least emerge as someone whose mobility could be used in creative ways in some offensive packages.

Instead, whatever process the Raiders used to clear Mariota physically before bringing him aboard didn’t take into account the beating he took as a starter in Tennessee — even though he had lost his job to Ryan Tannehill early in the 2019 season.

In a training camp truncated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mariota was essentially a spectator while Nathan Peterman got the work as Carr’s backup. Before camp even began, Carr was running voluntary camps in the Las Vegas area with teammates.

Then camp got underway, and Carr put the starting job in vicegrips while Mariota could only watch.

As the shoulder and ankle injuries imported from Tennessee slowed Mariota, he then had a pectoral strain which led to him opening the season on injured reserve.

Mariota wasn’t on the 53-man roster for a game until Week 6 against Tampa Bay, just before the deadline for him to be activated rather than spending the entire season on injured reserve.

Although practicing, it wasn’t until Week 13 when Mariota ascended past Peterman to be Carr’s backup, and two weeks later he finally got his chance to show why he was signed in the first place.

When Carr had a groin strain early in Week 15 against the Chargers, Mariota came off the bench and played better than most anyone expected. With Gruden adjusting the offense on the fly to suit his skill set, Mariota completed 17 of 28 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown, and added 88 rushing yards on nine carries, including a 2-yard touchdown run.

The Raiders lost 30-27 in overtime on a defensive collapse on the Chargers’ first possession,