It’s been a while since the Raiders were called a stable franchise. But the team’s new QB, Marcus Mariota, named stability as a major factor in signing a free-agent deal with Las Vegas.
Mariota cited coach Jon Gruden and the club’s front office. Gruden is a fixture with the club after signing a 10-year contract in 2018, and general manager Mike Mayock is in his second year with Las Vegas and has a close relationship with Gruden.
Another factor for Mariota was playing closer to his home, Hawaii. Las Vegas is not only geographically closer than Nashville, where Mariota played with the Titans for the last five years, but Las Vegas is sometimes referred to as Hawaii’s “ninth island,” due to its large Hawaiian population.
Mariota praised his time in Nashville but told Rob DeMello of KHON News that his entire family is excited to be in Las Vegas. Still, it’s the Raiders he’s most excited about.
“It’s an opportunity to be closer to home and also to be part of a great organization,” he said. “I had two priorities while I was going through this free agency process: No. 1 was to find stability. I wanted to be part of an organization that had a stable head coach, that had stability in the front office.
“And then secondly I wanted to be part of a coaching staff that could bring out the best in me — that could embrace my talent. The cherry on top was being closer to home and being in Vegas. I can’t stress it enough; we’re so excited.”
‘It’s been almost ten years since I played at home, this is as close as it gets’, #Hawaii’s Marcus Mariota ‘excited’ to sign with #LasVegas #Raiders https://t.co/O7B6TkeMAt @StLouisHawaii #NFLHawaii #9thIsland // https://t.co/9oZimTtTXJ 🤙🏽 pic.twitter.com/xBHLaAUMFy
— Rob DeMello (@RobDeMelloKHON) March 25, 2020
The Raiders have been one of the league’s most unstable teams since it’s last Super Bowl appearance, a loss to the Buccaneers after the 2002 season.
But Gruden clearly isn’t going anywhere, and with Mayock on board and seemingly infatuated with building a winner, the Raiders are finding solid ground. The club’s brand new stadium in Las Vegas only adds to the team’s newfound stability.
As for Mariota, he enters his tenure with the Raiders as the clear backup to Derek Carr, but the former No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft has the mobility Gruden covets, and he’s clearly looking to maximize his potential under the tutelage of his new coach.
And his contract causes one to ponder whether he could take Carr’s job. It’s worth a minimum of $7.5 million for one year, but if Mariota starts and wins for Gruden, he’ll earn starter-type money.
With Carr entering his third year in Gruden’s offense after showing progress in 2019, the QB position is already solid. But with Mariota’s experience and talent providing a solid backup plan, he adds to the Raiders’ burgeoning, surprising stability.