Mariota's Deal With Raiders Loaded With Incentives

Quarterback can more than double his pay based on performance, playing time

Marcus Mariota will be paid as a backup quarterback, but only if he stays a backup quarterback.

According to NFL.com reports Monday, the former Tennessee Titans quarterback’s deal with the Las Vegas Raiders is for two years and $17.6 million but is loaded with incentives that could allow Mariota to earn as much as $37.5 million.

Mariota and the Raiders agreed to the deal early in the legal tampering period, which began more than a week ago. The second overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft will join the Raiders as the presumed backup to Derek Carr, who has started all 94 games he has played since that franchise drafted him in the second round in 2004.

Carr has led the Raiders to a winning record just once in six seasons and has never been in an NFL playoff game (he was injured late in 2016, the last time the franchise made the postseason).

Mariota’s career record is 29-32 overall, 26-23 with two playoff appearances in the last four seasons (he was 1-1 as a starter in the postseason).

The two have comparable passing statistics. Carr has completed 64.0 percent of his throws for an average of 242.5 yards per game and his career passer rating is 90.7. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is 2:31/1. Mariota has completed 62.9 percent of his passes for an average of 209.6 yards per game and has an 89.6 passer rating. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is 1.73/1.

Mariota is the much more mobile of the two with 1,399 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Carr has 495 career rushing yards and three touchdowns.

The Raiders will be one of the 2020 season’s biggest storylines as they relocate for the third time in franchise history and become the second professional sports franchise in Las Vegas. Founded in 1960 as the Oakland Raiders, they played in Los Angeles from 1982-94 but then went back to Oakland. They won the Super Bowl in their third season in Los Angeles and another in their seventh season after their return to Oakland.

Thus, Mariota, a popular figure on the West Coast because of its proximity (relatively speaking) to his native Hawaii and Oregon, where he starred in college football, figures to be one of the most scrutinized backup quarterbacks in 2020, unless he plays his way into a starting job.