Raiders willing to bet on Nathan Peterman after Marcus Mariota injury

Nathan Peterman continues to prove he has the best job security in all pro sports.

The Las Vegas Raiders entered training camp with an apparent quarterback controversy on their hands. Las Vegas signed former Tennessee Titans signal caller Marcus Mariota to a two-year deal at the start of the league year, which made him the highest-paid backup in the NFL. Head coach Jon Gruden spoke glowingly of Mariota at the start of training camp, leading many to wonder how long until the 2015 second-overall pick would be starting in place of Derek Carr. As it turns out, that won’t be happening anytime soon.

Mariota was officially placed on the injured reserve on Monday after straining his pectoral muscle, which will keep him sidelined for at least three weeks. So, who’s backing up Carr entering their Week 1 game against the Carolina Panthers? That honor is going to none other than the one and only Nathan Peterman.

Further proof that Gruden loves Nathan Peterman

Mariota suffered the pectoral injury during training camp and it severely limited him during drills, per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. He could move with his feet, but his arm just wasn’t up to par with Carr’s. In fact, Vic Tafur of The Athletic said that Mariota served as “no threat” to Carr, even though the team signed him to an $17.6 million contract to push Carr in training camp.

Peterman has a bit of notoriety among NFL fans, but not for good reasons. He was hyped up as a NFL Draft prospect once he was selected by the Buffalo Bills in 2017. Peterman stepped into the spotlight a handful of times during his year-plus with the Bills … but he failed to make a positive impression. In eight games (four starts), Peterman completed 52.3 percent of his passes for 548 yards, three touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

After being released by Buffalo midway through the 2018 season, Peterson was signed by the Raiders, mostly due to Gruden’s love of his play during his college career. He shined during the 2019 preseason, as he completed 60-of-87 pass attempts for 474 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. However, he was placed on the season-ending injured reserve with an elbow injury.

If Carr were to unfortunately go down with an injury, Gruden will lean on Peterman, who has impressed the coach through two training camps.