Derek Carr isn’t the only Las Vegas Raiders quarterback that is rumored to on the wish list of the Washington Football Team. The Athletic’s Michael Lombardi told VSiN Washington is “extremely interested” in Raiders backup QB Marcus Mariota.
Marcus Mariota was the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft of the Tennessee Titans. But Tennessee moved on from him after five seasons in favor of Ryan Tannehill. Mariota landed in Las Vegas this season, backing up Carr.
He appeared in just one game, replacing an injured Carr in the first quarter of a Week 15 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Mariota looked impressive, completing 17-of-28 passes for 226 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also had 88 yards rushing with a touchdown.
With him under contract for 2021 for a bargain of $10.725 million, he is certain to draw attention for teams looking for a quarterback. Washington fits the bill for sure. The Washington Football Team made finding a starting quarterback their top priority this offseason.
They just missed out on the Matthew Stafford sweepstakes. Additionally, Washington has been linked publicly to Sam Darnold of the New York Jets. Much like about all but a handful of teams, Washington is peaking into the situations of disgruntled QB’s Deshaun Watson in Houston and Russell Wilson in Seattle.
Last season, Washington started four different quarterbacks throughout heir 16 regular season games and wild card playoff loss. They have a strong young core, highlighted by their impressive defense which finished second in passing and total yards allowed.
Alex Smith is approaching 37 years of age and despite his remarkable comeback and 5-1 record, showed lingering affects of his horrific leg injury from two years ago. Kyle Allen is coming off a serious ankle injury from last season, and is an exclusive rights free agent this year. Taylor Heinicke earned himself a two-year extension, but best case scenario for Washington, he will be backing up a big name QB.
Mariota is a dual threat signal caller that seemingly is more ideal for Washington’s offensive system. He is also a game manager in a positive way. Mariota is accurate, completing 62.9% of his passes throughout his career. He plays the chains, choosing for the safe throw. He has 77 touchdowns passes against 45 interceptions. Simply put, he is a younger and more mobile Alex Smith.
Mariota could be the least costly QB rumored to Washington in a trade. It’s still a little over two months away from the NFL Draft. That’s plenty of time for the wind to blow in all directions on this year’s offseason. There will be more names mentioned. But it’s clear the Washington Football Team is looking around to improve their quarterback room.
