Backup QB Marcus Mariota's Value Explained

Quarterback Marcus Mariota might not play a down for weeks at a time, but he remains a valued member of the Las Vegas Raiders as Derek Carr’s backup.

The 6-4, 222-pound Mariota showed that the Silver and Black are in good hands even if Carr goes down because of an injury, as he did last season in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Mariota came off the bench cold and all he did was complete 17-of-28 passes for 226 yards with one touchdown and one interception, in addition to rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough as the Chargers pulled out a 30-27 victory in overtime, but Mariota showed that the Raiders have one of the best one-two quarterback combos in the National Football League.

“It just shows the kind of player, the kind of football character he has,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said of Mariota. “You lose Derek, and then we change gears offensively. And Marcus came in and did a great job. I’m really proud of him.

“I think that this kind of puts an exclamation point on why we signed him and just wish we could have won the game for him. You got a glimpse of what he can do; he's still a special talent.”

Mariota, who hails from Hawaii, was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the second overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft after winning the Heisman Trophy and just about every national award as a redshirt junior at Oregon.

After becoming the starter in the third game of his rookie season, Mariota held that spot until he was benched midway through the 2019 season in favor of Ryan Tannehill, perhaps because the Titans were only 2-4.

Mariota passed for 13,207 yards and 76 touchdowns with only 44 interceptions while rushing for 1,399 yards and 11 scores, including an 87-yarder. However, he was criticized because of a 63-61 record, with a best season of 9-6 in 2017.

Sound familiar Carr fans?

The Titans signed Tannehill to a long-term contract after the 2019 season and Mariota left as a free agent to sign with the Raiders in 2020, and earlier this offseason took a big pay cut to sign a new deal with the Silver and Black with a no-cut clause.

“(The clause) was something that the Raiders were willing to allow me and I appreciate the fact that they were willing to work with us,” said Mariota, who often played through injuries with the Titans. “I feel like this team, this organization has allowed me the opportunity to get healthy, to get better.

“And, at the end of the day, I appreciate the loyalty and was excited to come back. I have an opportunity to have a little bit of stability, something that’s kind of been elusive in my career. I’m just excited to be in a place that I’m comfortable. I’m confident.”

Mariota has made it clear that he understood from the beginning that this is Carr’s team unless something drastic happens.

However, he still has a starter’s mentality.

“My vision has always been to be a starter and to be successful at that position,” the 27-year-old Mariota said. “That has not changed, even in the circumstances that I’m in right now.

“I understand my role, I understand that I am a key component to Derek’s success. I have to help him, support him in every way that I can. (But) when it comes down to it, it’s part of my mindset to be prepared when I am needed.”

Mariota recently was ranked as the eighth-best backup quarterback in the NFL by CBS Sports, but critics of that list claim he should be much higher.

And that includes Carr, who is glad to have him around.

“(Mariota) is by far one of the coolest, nicest, professional people I’ve ever been around,” said Carr, who also played college ball on the West Coast at Fresno State. “I've got nothing but good things to say about him. He’s amazing. Marcus, I’ve known him since college … we’ve got mutual friends, teammates, all that kind of stuff. Me and Marcus get along great. We always have. After we played each other we always talked to each other.

“I think the most important thing is to have a united quarterback room. I’ve always thought that. When you have a strong united quarterback group so we can all go lead the football team. Our depth of the offense that we know, we have to correct guys.”

And being a team player, it’s important for Carr to know that should he go down, Mariota is ready, willing, and able to take the reigns of the Raiders.

Please make sure you tell us your thoughts when you like our Facebook Page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

Want the latest breaking Las Vegas Raiders news delivered straight to you? CLICK THE FOLLOW button at the top of the page. Don't miss any of the latest up to the second updates for your Las Vegas Raiders when you follow on Twitter @HondoCarpenter