Derek Carr he is not the only Raiders defender to generate commercial interest. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the teams have a “legitimate and real” commercial interest in the backup Marcus Mariota.
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Mariota joined the Raiders out of last season with a two-year, $ 17.6 million deal. He had an IR period in September and October and did not leave the bench until the loss of Raiders’ Week 15 to the Chargers. Mariota completed 17 of the 28 passing attempts for 226 meters, a touchdown and an interception in that game and added another score and 88 meters on the ground. Rapoport says the unique performance caught the eye of other teams, with some organizations believing Mariota could have a similar career. Ryan Tannehill (who, of course, revived his career after replacing Mariota in Tennessee).
Mariota showed promise during the five seasons in Tennessee, but she obviously disappointed with the second type of general selection. The defender went 18-16 in his last three seasons with the Titans, but also had only 31 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.
We found out earlier this week that the teams were interested in Carr, and reports indicated that the Raiders were willing to listen to offers from their starting lineup. Rapoport states that, although the Raiders would not hang up any team, they are not eager to switch from the 29-year-old, and a deal for Carr would be “incredibly expensive”.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.