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Over the last few days, we’ve seen the Raiders make several moves in order to create cap space. That includes trading Trent Brown along with releasing Tyrell Williams, Richie Incognito and (eventually) Gabe Jackson.
Currently, the Raiders have around $34 million in cap space after factoring in cap rollovers from the 2020 season. That number fluctuates some depending on the cap site, but it is in that range. On Wednesday, the NFL announced that the cap for the 2021 season would be $182.5 million, which is down eight percent from last year.
With the Raiders likely to be active in free agency given all of their holes on the offensive line and on defense, they should be exploring every avenue to find cap space.
One such way is to move on from Marcus Mariota, who did not start a single game for the team last season. He did impress during his short appearance against the Chargers, but he hasn’t been a full-time starter since the beginning of the 2019 season.
According to OverTheCap.com, the Raiders can save over $10 million with a release or a trade of Mariota. With the tram already having Derek Carr (and Nathan Peterman) under contract, there is no real reason to keep him around at that number. And with several teams in the quarterback market, they should be able to acquire some sort of draft capital for the Heisman Trophy Winner.
That $10 million in cap savings would be enough to bring in a starting-caliber offensive lineman or a veteran cornerback, such as Richard Sherman. The Raiders will need to move on soon so they can be aggressive early in the week with free agents.
Expect Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden to resolve the Mariota situation in the upcoming days.
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