One of the greatest quarterbacks to ever suit up for Oregon football has found himself in a predicament. Marcus Mariota, entering his second year with the Raiders, is being asked to take a major paycut or risk being unemployed this offseason.
The former Heisman Trophy winner has been in the NFL for six years and has had his fair share of ups and downs. He went from rookie sensation to really good second-year quarterback and then he found himself battling for his starting job in years four and five. Turnovers were a big reason for his drop-off but he has shown that he still has the talent to compete.
But the Raiders aren’t willing to pay him what they originally promised, asking him to take a huge paycut which would be about 30 percent of his original contract.
Decision is coming: The #Raiders asked QB Marcus Mariota to take a paycut down to just $3M this year, source said, and if he refuses the team will move on. While a release is likely, the team has been able to trade players they would cut. That remains possible. He is due $10.725M
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 18, 2021
But that begs the question: why? Why is Mariota considered such an expendable quarterback when some teams have a tough time finding a backup who could even play meaningful snaps. Mariota has over 60 career starts and was even ranked the No. 50 player in the league in NFL.com’s top-100 rankings in 2017.
Where did everything turn?
Why is Marcus Mariota so undervalued?
Teams seem to be hung up on Mariota’s underwhelming 2017 season when he was considered one of the top quarterbacks in the league heading into the year and he disappointed. He threw 13 touchdown passes to 15 interceptions but he still had over 3,200 yards, completed 62 percent of his passes and led the Titans to a 9-6 record in his 15 starts.
The following year, he started 13 games and went 7-6 with 2,528 yards, 11 touchdowns, eight picks and a career-high 68 percent completion rate. The touchdown numbers were concerning, but he was accurate and showed he could cut the interceptions down.
And then he lost his starting job to Ryan Tannehill in 2019 after passing for 1,203 yards, seven touchdowns and two picks in six starts.
If not for that underwhelming 2017 season and subsequent low-touchdown 2018 campaign, we wouldn’t even be talking about Mariota fighting for a backup job. Cutting him wouldn’t even cross the mind of teams. But sadly, the league is cutthroat and even the slightest hint of regression can cost you your job.
Mariota found a new home with the Raiders in 2020 and had 226 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-28 completions but there are some who believe he may be a better option than Derek Carr. So why threaten to cut him loose if he doesn’t take a drastic paycut? It doesn’t make sense.
As someone who has watched the Detroit Lions his entire life, I’d kill for a quarterback like Mariota to replace Matthew Stafford who was just dealt to the Rams. His ceiling his high, he’s a solid dual-threat, he has improve his accuracy over the years and he’s only 27.
For some reason, Mariota is looked at as damaged goods and it doesn’t make sense.
The Raiders need to just trade him to a team that could actually utilize his talent and give him a fair shot at the starting job.