Marcus Mariota doesn’t look like he’ll be unseating Derek Carr at any time soon
Marcus Mariota’s struggles with the Las Vegas Raiders throughout camp has become a consistent theme.
Derek Carr has his fair share of haters, and those same folks have been hoping former Tennessee Titans first-round pick Marcus Mariota would be able to steal his starting job away from his during training camp.
It doesn’t look like there’s any chance of that happening at any time soon.
While Carr continues to look sharp for the Las Vegas Raiders in practice, the opposite can be said for Mariota. Throughout camp thus far, the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder has struggled mightily to get into any kind of a groove tossing the pigskin around.
FYI: Another shakey day for @Raiders backup QB Marcus Mariota, who hasn't looked sharp throughout camp. Lack of an offseason/chemistry with receivers/new system are all evident.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) August 20, 2020
New Las Vegas Raiders signal-caller Marcus Mariota hasn’t had a strong start to his time in the Bay Area
The Raiders signed Mariota to a two-year, $17.6 million contract in March. As soon as the pen was put to paper, the expectation was he’d be able to push Carr for the starting role, with Jon Gruden speaking highly of Mariota.
However, Mariota’s struggles have been noted time and time again. Mariota spent the first five years of his career with the Titans, throwing 77 touchdowns and 44 interceptions. Unfortunately for him, the emergence of Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee meant the Titans really had no further need for him in town.
The Raiders then stepped in ready to give Mariota a fair shot, one he hasn’t been able to take full advantage of. Meanwhile, for Carr, the three-time Pro Bowler has been with the Raiders since 2014, throwing 143 touchdowns and 62 interceptions.
However, Carr has struggled in the past two campaigns. In 2018, he finished the year with only 19 touchdowns (the lowest of his career) and finished last season with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Those aren’t the kind of numbers Raiders fans want to be seeing from their franchise gunslinger.
Carr knows the pressure is on him and he’s ready to send a message this fall and winter to all of his haters. We’ll see if he’ll be able to back up his talk.
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