3 teams that should sign Marcus Mariota

Marcus Mariota has been asked to take a paycut by the Las Vegas Raiders, but this may just lead to the former Heisman Trophy quarterback being released this offseason.

The Las Vegas Raiders have reportedly asked backup quarterback Marcus Mariota to take a paycut.

Mariota played sparingly in his first season with the Silver and Black. He had been the former starting quarterback of the Tennessee Titans as the former No. 2 overall pick back in 2015. If he does not take a paycut, Mariota could be released and free to sign anywhere once again in free agency. With fewer teams on the market than before, who could Mariota end up signing with?

3 new NFL teams for Marcus Mariota if he is released by the Las Vegas Raiders

A backup spot where he can reunite with a familiar face

The Atlanta Falcons have a borderline hall-of-fame quarterback in Matt Ryan, but he needs a backup upon Matt Schaub’s retirement. Given that new Falcons head coach Arthur Smith had been Mariota’s offensive coordinator on the Titans and in other roles on the Tennessee coaching staff well before that, this could be an interesting potential landing spot for Mariota if he is released.

Ultimately, this is very much an outside-the-box new NFL team if Mariota does become available. Atlanta is not in a good situation up against the cap and new general manager Terry Fontenot probably does not want to pay a premium on a quarterback who will be backing up Ryan in 2021. However, it would serve Ryan and the offense to have a quarterback who knows Smith’s system.

Their fascination in him has not waned in recent years

Even though the New England Patriots brought back Cam Newton on a second contract, that does not mean the Patriots are out of the potential Mariota sweepstakes. Once it became clear that he was no longer going to be the starter in Nashville, Bill Belichick showed a great deal of interest in signing the former Oregon star in his free agency. Maybe they will get another shot?

By signing Mariota, it would signify that the Patriots are done with the Jarrett Stidham experiment. He is an interception machine and was unable to take away playing time from Newton in his first year in a new system in a COVID year. Mariota could theoretically compete for the starting job in Foxborough. If Newton cannot stay healthy, then Mariota may have his shot at redemption here.

This is his best opportunity to compete for a starting job in 2021

While the Philadelphia Eagles could use the No. 6 overall pick on one of the many alluring quarterback prospects entering the 2021 NFL Draft, they may just want to take the best player available to surround Jalen Hurts with as much talent as possible. However, it would serve Philadelphia to have a player like Mariota to come in and compete for the starting job as well.

This is Nick Sirianni’s first year as a head coach and he was not part of the regime that brought Hurts into the fold. The best thing he can do is allow his team to get better through competition. Hurts may have more upside than Mariota at this point of his career, but Mariota has quarterbacked a handful of playoff teams before. You have to believe the Eagles will be interested.

What teams do you think will be interested in signing Mariota if he is released by the Raiders?