Raiders asking QB Marcus Mariota to take $7 million pay cut
It appears a resolution is coming on the Marcus Mariota front. The team signed the backup quarterback during free agency last offseason but now needs to move him (or reduce his salary) in order to continue with their offseason plans.
A few weeks ago, a trade of Mariota seemed likely with so many teams in need of a quarterback. But after a few quarterback spots have been resolved, Mariota is running out of trade destinations.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Raiders have asked Mariota to take more than a $7M pay cut in order to stay with the team. While he has not yet accepted the offer, the Raiders are reportedly willing to release him if he declines.
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
With the Raiders needing cap space to continue to fix their defense, it does appear they will be moving on from Mariota in some way or another. However, don’t expect it to be a trade as Mariota is likely to get more than $3 million per year on the open market.
Mariota appeared in just one game for the Raiders last season, throwing 28 passes for 226 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He is still only 27 years old and is fully recovered from an elbow injury that he’s dealt with for a few years.
We will continue to update this post as more information becomes available.
Like this article?
Sign up for the Raiders Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning
An error has occured
Please re-enter your email address.
Thanks for signing up!
You'll now receive the top Raiders Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.
