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Raiders Trade Rumors: Teams Believe LV Open to Derek Carr or Marcus Mariota Deal
February 7, 2021
NFL teams reportedly believe the Las Vegas Raiders are willing to trade either Derek Carr or Marcus Mariota this offseason, according to Mike Garafolo, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
The Raiders had previously been strongly against dealing Carr, who has been the starting quarterback for the past seven seasons, but the organization now appears "open to considering it in some form or fashion," per NFL Network.
The key for Las Vegas will be finding a replacement "on the same level."
Carr set career highs in 2020 with 4,103 passing yards and a 101.4 quarterback rating, while his 8.2 adjusted yards per attempt ranked eighth in the NFL.
It still wasn't enough to help the Raiders, who finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. The team has reached the postseason just once since Carr was taken in the second round of the 2014 draft.
The 29-year-old has a $22.1 million cap hit for 2021, but the Raiders would save $19.6 million if he is traded or released, per Spotrac. It could allow the organization to move on if it can find a good deal for the quarterback.
Meanwhile, Mariota signed a two-year, $17.6 million deal last offseason that made him one of the highest-paid backups in the league. His cap hit will be $10.7 million next season, but none of it is guaranteed. This could mean he'll only stay on the roster if he is the projected starter.
The former Tennessee Titans quarterback appeared in just one game in 2020 but showed his upside with 226 passing yards, 88 rushing yards and two total touchdowns off the bench. He threw 76 passing touchdowns with 44 interceptions across four-plus seasons as the starter in Tennessee before losing his job to Ryan Tannehill in 2019.