Raiders agree to deal with QB Marcus Mariota
By Josh Dubow
ALAMEDA, CALIF. (AP) » The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed on a contract with free agent quarterback Marcus Mariota to provide an experienced backup behind starter Derek Carr.
A person familiar with the negotiations said Monday the Raiders reached a deal with Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract can’t be signed until the start of the league year on Wednesday.
The Raiders were one of the teams rumored to be in the running for Tom Brady if he decided to leave New England as a free agent. They ended up with Mariota instead to give coach Jon Gruden a proven backup who could also challenge Carr for the starting role.
The Raiders also agreed to a three-year deal with linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, a second person said on condition of anonymity because the contract can’t be signed until Wednesday.
Mariota lost his starting job in Tennessee last season. The Titans acquired
Ryan Tannehill from Miami last offseason and changed quarterbacks in October before going on a run to the AFC title game.
That made Mariota expendable in Tennessee less than five years after being drafted second overall. He made a big splash with four touchdown passes in his NFL debut in 2015 but never developed into the star the Titans hoped they were getting when they drafted him.
He lost his job six games into the 2019 season when he was pulled in the third quarter of a 16-0 loss at Denver. He completed a career-low 59.4% of his passes last season with seven TDs, two interceptions and a 92.3 rating.
Mariota dealt with a revolving door of play-callers and receivers during his time in Tennessee. He has 61 career starts and 63 games in five seasons, with his best performance coming in his second year in 2016 when he threw 26 TD passes and had a 95.6 passer rating.
He broke his right ankle in the second-to-last game of that season, a couple of hours before Carr went down with a similar injury to derail his most successful season as a pro.