Cleveland Browns, Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys target Marcus Mariota

Marcus Mariota is one of the names rumored to be available at the NFL trade deadline.

He is currently the backup to Derek Carr, but the Raiders could be buyers at the trade deadline as they try to make a push for a playoff spot.

Marcus Mariota is one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL and could help the Raiders land a contributor at the trade deadline if he is moved.

Marcus Mariota is a gifted athlete who didn’t quite work out as a starting quarterback.

He is still very talented and could serve as a solid fill-in for a contending team that has an issue at the quarterback position. It would be wise for the following three teams to inquire about Marcus Mariota at the trade deadline. He should be available for a relatively cheap price tag.

Marcus Mariota's name reportedly is picking up steam in NFL trade rumorshttps://t.co/W0aXEp6AsL pic.twitter.com/8EZC3Zedsl
— Raiders on NBCS (@NBCSRaiders) February 10, 2021

Possible trade deadline destinations for Marcus Mariota

Cleveland Browns

Baker Mayfield is currently dealing with a shoulder injury that has already caused him to miss time. The Browns are hopeful of making a deep playoff run this season. Case Keenum is a capable back-up quarterback, but Marcus Mariota would be an upgrade. He will give them quarterback insurance at the trade deadline just in case Baker Mayfield is unable to continue.

Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson is another starting quarterback on a playoff hopeful team that is dealing with an injury. Geno Smith has been his replacement and has been a liability for the Seahawks. Marcus Mariota, though not nearly as good of course, can play a style athletically similar to Russell Wilson.

A move for Mariota at the trade deadline would allow Seattle to get back to their usual game plan and style of offense. It would also give them insurance for Wilson’s injury if he is forced to be out longer than expected. They can’t afford to fall any further back into the standings or their season could be over.

Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott is currently questionable and listed as a game-time decision this week. The Cowboys are playing like legitimate Super Bowl contenders this season. Cooper Rush is their current back-up but Marcus Mariota would be a significant upgrade. He is a much more capable quarterback to fill in for Prescott if he’s forced to miss any time with his injury.

Pete Carroll says Russell Wilson hasn't had pin removed from finger yet, but he's "way ahead of schedule."
— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) October 29, 2021

Marcus Mariota

Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL).

(born October 30, 1993)

He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans second overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota played college football at Oregon, where he was the starting quarterback from 2012 to 2014. As a junior in 2014, Mariota became the first University of Oregon player, as well as the first Hawaii-born athlete, to win the Heisman Trophy.

Quarterback

The quarterback (QB), colloquially known as the “signal caller”, is a position in gridiron football.

Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually considered the leader of the offense, and is often responsible for calling the play in the huddle. The quarterback also touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and is the offensive player that almost always throws forward passes.

When the QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, it is called a sack.

Las Vegas Raiders must not trade Marcus Mariota in the AFC

Las Vegas Raiders QB Marcus Mariota has been in trade rumors and if the team trades him, they must not trade him to another AFC contender.

The Las Vegas Raiders are in an enviable position as they have three QBs on their roster with starting experience. Some of those starts have gone better than others, Nathan Peterman’s five INT game comes to mind, but they have two QBs in Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota that would be starters on most of the teams in the NFL.

In the case of Mariota, he came to Las Vegas to rehabilitate and parlay some cameo appearances for the Raiders into a full-time starting role with another team. In the one game where he played the majority of the snaps in 2020, Mariota looked back to his old self as he was extending plays and running around hapless defenders.

He has only played two snaps for the Raiders this season but looks to be healthy once again and is now a popular name in the NFL trade rumor mill.

Raiders QB Marcus Mariota Named Trade Target for AFC Contender

Considering the Las Vegas Raiders are in playoff contention, they could be buyers more than sellers at the trade deadline.

However, they could have one really good trade chip that is likely to leave in free agency in the offseason. Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota has played a total of two snaps this season and it remains to be seen if the team plans to use him much this year.

He’s arguably the best backup in the NFL and could be useful for a team that has a need at the position. The Raiders would prefer to keep him in case something happens to Derek Carr but could be persuaded for the right price. The Cleveland Browns may be the perfect trade partner, according to Patrik Walker of CBS Sports:

Will Baker Mayfield be able to play through both a torn labrum and a bone fracture? That’s asking a lot, even for the toughest of quarterbacks, leaving the Browns with the possibility of having to rely on backup quarterback Case Keenum going forward. That’s a scary proposition considering Keenum is 28-35 as a starter, and while the Browns were able to hold off the struggling Broncos in Week 7, Keenum missed on 12 of his 33 pass attempts en route to 199 yards and just one touchdown. Those numbers won’t cut it against the upper class of the AFC, and Mariota gives them a better chance at staving off dark days. All they have to do is convince the Raiders of Derek Carr’s durability and Mariota, who has a no-trade clause, that it’s better to start in Cleveland than to sit in Las Vegas.

What Could Raiders Get for Mariota?

This could be a very advantageous situation for the Raiders. There’s not a ton of incentive for them to trade Mariota right now as they are a good team that would like to have a capable backup in the event of an injury. The Raiders know all too well how a playoff season can end with an injury to Carr. However, Las Vegas could take advantage of a possibly desperate Browns team.

Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield has a torn labrum and a bone fracture. Cleveland had eyes on the Super Bowl this season but that’s not happening if they don’t have a good quarterback. Mariota isn’t elite but he could do some damage behind the Browns’ elite offensive line. The Raiders know they could be desperate and play in the AFC. If the Browns really want Mariota, they are going to have to pay more than they’d like. Considering Cleveland could be a potential playoff opponent for the Raiders, they shouldn’t accept anything less than a second-round pick in a trade with them.

Hard to See Browns Deal for Mariota Actually Happening

Trading Mariota could be a smart move for the Raiders but it could also blow up in their face. If anything happens to Carr and Mariota is gone, the season is over. The former No. 2 overall draft pick could possibly still lead the Raiders to the playoffs if something were to happen to the starter.

Las Vegas Raiders activate Marcus Mariota off injured reserve in time for road date vs. Denver Broncos

The Las Vegas Raiders activated backup quarterback Marcus Mariota off injured reserve on Saturday, as interim coach Rich Bisaccia hinted at Friday afternoon.

“He’s really had a good week of practice,” Bisaccia said at the time. “He looks, really, 100 percent healthy. So, we are excited about what could possibly happen here over the next few days.”

The Raiders (3-2) meet the Denver Broncos (3-2) in an AFC West matchup of two teams riding two-game losing streaks.

Mariota has played one snap for the Raiders this season, breaking off a 31-yard run in the season-opening win against the Baltimore Ravens. But he was shaken up on the play and went on IR with a quadriceps injury.

From Marcus Mariota to Evan Engram: One NFL trade deadline candidate for every team

The NFL trade deadline is less than a week away. So we asked our team of football writers to offer ideas about who might be traded from each of the 32 franchises.