Marcus Mariota signs 2-year deal with Las Vegas Raiders that could be worth $37M

Saying, “This is Derek (Carr’s) team,” Marcus Mariota has signed a two-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders that will average approximately $8.8 million per season whether he emerges as the team’s starting quarterback or a backup.

“I’m here to support Derek, but this journey is more about me trying to find out how I can become the best player that I can be,” Mariota told the Star-Advertiser from California.

Mariota, who spent the last five seasons with the Tennessee Titans, said, “For me, my priorities in free agency were to, (number) one find a stable head coach and stability within the organization. Secondly, for me, was just to find a team that I felt comfortable with and that, I felt, could help me reach my potential and become the best player that I could be.”

Mariota’s 2020 base salary of $7.5 million is guaranteed and he could add another $5.9 million in incentives depending on playing time and production. He is due $10 million in 2021.

The total package could be worth as much as $37 million, if he hits all the bonuses, including post-season play.

Mariota, 26, said he recently underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder and to remove bone spurs in his right ankle.

Mariota and Carr, who is beginning his seventh year with the Raiders, sustained somewhat similar ankle injuries on the same day in 2016. Mariota said they have known each other since college when they played against each other.