Raiders: Marcus Mariota’s contract preventing significant trade interest

There is one issue in trading for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota.

While there are a handful of teams who could be interested in trading for Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota, there are concerns regarding his incentive-laden contract.

“There’s a lot of conversations about [Marcus] Mariota getting traded,” said Michael Lombardi on VSiN Live. “I know there’s one team in the NFC East, the Washington Football Team, that’s extremely interested in Mariota.”

“Mariota’s problem is simply this. He’s due to make $10 million this year. If you trade for that contract, and you make him your starter, that contract’s $20 million because he’s got so many incentives in that contract. It’s going to be very challenging for you to trade for him without redoing that contract.”

Is Marcus Mariota worth $20 million annually to serve as a stop-gap starter?

While there is no doubt about if Mariota is a good guy or a great teammate, NFL teams such as the Washington Football Team that Lombardi mentioned by name may not value him for that number. Essentially, by trading for Mariota, you are admitting he is worth $20 million annually without any guarantees he will be as good as he was in his best days with the Tennessee Titans.

This is why a contract restructuring is paramount for any team who theoretically deals for Mariota. He is certainly good enough to start in this league, but there is no reason to trade for a guy on a premium incentive-laden contract if you do not have to. That money can be freed up to be used elsewhere. Mariota is a trailer of an NFL quarterback and must be pulled by the talent around him.

Unless another team can get him to agree to a restructure, Mariota will remain with the Raiders.