Raiders Rumors: DeShone Kizer Cut; Was Behind Mariota, Peterman on Depth Chart
May 5, 2020
Quarterback DeShone Kizer is looking for a new job after the Las Vegas Raiders reportedly cut the former second-round pick on Tuesday afternoon, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero:
The move isn't a big shock as the team already made Marcus Mariota the highest-paid backup in the league while reaffirming its commitment to starter Derek Carr.
Kizer was claimed off waivers by the Raiders last September but did not appear in any games. He was listed behind former Buffalo Bills starter Nathan Peterman on the team's depth chart prior to Tuesday.
The QB is now searching for his fourth team in as many years.
Originally selected 52nd overall by the Cleveland Browns out of Notre Dame, the quarterback joined a vaunted group of top picks by Sashi Brown in 2017 featuring No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett, No. 29 Jabrill Peppers and No. 29 David Njoku.
Unfortunately, they did little to help the Browns on the field right away. The team went 0-16 as Kizer started 15 games, recording 2,894 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and a league-high 22 picks to go with nine fumbles and a 53.6 completion.
Cleveland selected quarterback Baker Mayfield with the No. 1 overall pick the following year and traded Kizer to Green Bay for Damarious Randall and a few pick swaps.
As a backup to Aaron Rodgers, Kizer's luck wasn't any better. He saw time in just three contests in 2018, getting picked off twice with no touchdowns on 42 passing attempts.
Where Kizer goes from here is unclear. There's a thin market for starting quarterbacks with the NFL Draft just completed and the openings for backups aren't looking much better.
The Raiders should've provided a perfect opportunity for Kizer this year. Carr is entering a make-or-break season while Mariota is out to prove he can still produce after losing his starting job in Tennessee to Ryan Tannehill.
With plenty of competition in camp, Kizer could've helped himself stand out.
Now he won't get the chance. Still just 24 years old, Kizer could become a solid reclamation project for a needy team. But the timing of his release means he may have to wait a bit before that's even an option general managers are ready to discuss.