Raiders Rumors: Marcus Mariota's 2-Year, $17.6M Contract Details Revealed
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZucker
Featured ColumnistMarch 23, 2020
Marcus Mariota's contract with the Las Vegas Raiders includes a number of incentives based not only on his number of snaps but also his performance over the course of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Mariota will receive $7.5 million guaranteed in the first year. What he earns from there will depend heavily on whether he has replaced Derek Carr as the Raiders' starting quarterback.
Mike Garafolo @MikeGarafoloMariota gets up to $2.4 million if he plays 60% of the snaps in 2020. Another $1.5m is available in per-game playing time and win incentives. Has $10m in those incentives available in 2021. Also $2 million in playoff/Super Bowl incentives each year + $12m in 2021 salary escalator
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network projected Mariota could get $37.5 million if he triggers every incentive.
While he's unlikely to get the full amount, his contract speaks to how fluid the quarterback situation will be in Las Vegas.
Carr has missed only two starts since the Raiders selected him 36th overall in the 2014 draft, yet the three-time Pro Bowler is on shaky ground. His development has stagnated over the last few years, and his deal gives the team an easy out if it wants to move on in 2021.
Vegas would save $19.7 million and eat $2.5 million in dead money if it released Carr prior to June 1, 2021, per Over the Cap.
Mariota was in Carr's shoes heading into the 2019 season. The Tennessee Titans acquired Ryan Tannehill from the Miami Dolphins to provide some competition. Tannehill guided the team to the AFC title game after replacing Mariota, thus sealing the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner's fate in Nashville.
Mariota's agreement with the Raiders works out well for both parties.
His base salary is commensurate with that of an experienced backup. Teddy Bridgewater got nearly $7.3 million from the New Orleans Saints for the 2019 season.
Should Mariota overtake Carr in the depth chart, his compensation will start reflecting his promotion.
And if the 26-year-old exceeds expectations in Nevada, he'll be a free agent in 2022 with the opportunity to secure a lucrative multiyear pact. Bridgewater signed with the Carolina Panthers for $63 million ($33 million guaranteed) over three years, and Tannehill got a four-year, $118 million extension with the Titans.