The Raiders made it a priority to upgrade their quarterback room this offseason. While many expected the Raiders to chase Tom Brady or a highly-rated quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft, the team decided to add Marcus Mariota to backup starter Derek Carr.
However, that move wasn’t cheap as Mariota now has a base salary of $7.5 million and could potentially earn up to $37.5 million over the next two years if he reaches all of his incentives.
According to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, Mariota is now the highest-paid backup quarterback in the NFL and his base salary is higher than any backup quarterback since 2018.
From last week's story on #Raiders QB Marcus Mariota and his big-for-a-backup salary… pic.twitter.com/UXVRmb7bsm
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) April 9, 2020
Mariota’s big salary means that the Raiders are now putting pressure on Derek Carr to perform at an even higher level. If he’s not up to the task, Jon Gruden will have no problem benching him for the 26-year old Mariota.
It’s a bold move by the Raiders, but at the quarterback position, it’s too important not to get it right. It’ll be fascinating to see how Mariota performs in a new situation, assuming that he gets the chance to do so.
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