3 bold predictions for the Raiders 2021 season

1. Marcus Mariota will overtake Derek Carr

Mariota raised some eyebrows this offseason by staying with the Raiders. Many thought he’d end up on another team with a better chance to win a starting job. The reason Gruden elected to keep him around is that he still believes he can beat out Derek Carr to become the Raiders’ No. 1 signal-caller.

Carr will need to falter to give Mariota the opportunity he needs to seize the starting gig. On the other hand, Gruden is looking for a reason to make a switch. He’s never fully committed to Carr even after his excellent 2020 campaign. His limitations as an athlete really work against him in the mind of his head coach.

Mariota doesn’t have the passing acumen that Carr possesses, but he’s a much more dynamic threat to hurt opposing defenses on the ground. The Raiders are going to need that extra dimension at some point this season. That’s when Mariota will get the call to jog in from the sidelines and seize control of the offense.

Mariota will manage to do just enough to put Carr on the bench permanently. That might seem unfair given all Carr has managed to give to the franchise, but the NFL is a cutthroat business. This is the year where Gruden makes his first big change at the quarterback position.