Raiders Rumors: Las Vegas 'Pushing' to Sign Marcus Mariota to Contract

The Las Vegas Raiders reportedly have their eyes on another quarterback.

According to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the AFC West team is "pushing to close out a deal" with Marcus Mariota. Mariota has spent his entire career with the Tennessee Titans since they selected him with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft.

This is notable because Derek Carr has been entrenched as the Raiders starting quarterback since they drafted him in 2014. Carr is under contract with the team through the 2022 season, per Spotrac.

While the signing of Mariota could lead to speculation about Carr's future with Las Vegas, JJ Stankevitz of NBC Sports Chicago noted "I cannot see any way this will lead to Derek Carr being traded, so let's put that rumor to bed."

That could leave Mariota in a quarterback competition or simply as the backup, which is a role he played for the Titans down the stretch of last season after Ryan Tannehill took over the starting position.

Mariota has not lived up to the sky-high expectations that were in place when Tennessee picked him so high in the NFL draft after he won the Heisman Trophy with the Oregon Ducks, but he did throw for more than 3,000 yards two years in a row in 2016 and 2017 and is a dual-threat playmaker who can hurt opposing defenses with his legs.

He led the Titans to the playoffs during the 2017 season and threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card Game.

Even if Carr remains the starting quarterback, Mariota is a playoff-tested veteran who would provide more security at the position for the Raiders.