Raiders Ask QB Marcus Mariota To Take Pay Cut, Release Or Trade Possible

According to Ian Rapoport, the Raiders have asked QB Marcus Mariota to take a pay cut down to just $3 million. 

If he declines to accept the cut from the $10.725 million he is owed, Rapoport says the Raiders will move on, either by releasing him or trading him. 

Las Vegas tried to trade Mariota unsuccessfully earlier this offseason but they have been able to pull off a couple of other trades in recent days in similar situations, so Rapoport notes not to discount that possibility. 

A trade would free up well over $10 million in cap space for Las Vegas and possibly provide Mariota with another crack at a starting opportunity to revitalize his career.

Washington and the Patriots are two of the teams that were linked as having interest in Mariota. However, both have signed other options at this point. 

Mariota, 27, is a former No. 2 overall pick of the Titans back in 2015.  He signed a four-year, $24.214 million rookie contract that’s fully guaranteed.

The Titans picked up Mariota’s fifth-year option worth $20.922 million for the 2019 season. They declined to re-sign him as an unrestricted free agent after he lost the starting job, though, and he ultimately agreed to a two-year contract with the Raiders worth $17.6 million. 

In 2020, Mariota appeared in one game for the Raiders and completed 17 of 28 passing attempts (60.7 percent) for 226 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed nine times for 88 yards and a touchdown. 

We’ll have more on the Raiders and Mariota as the news is available.