Raiders Backup Quarterback Marcus Mariota Agrees to Pay Cut

Raiders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota will be making $3.5 million with incentives this season

Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota has agreed to a pay cut.

Mariota recently accepted a pay decrease which cut his contract from $10.752 million with incentives to $3.5 million with incentives. Should Mariota play if starting quarterback Derek Carr is injured, he could make as much as $8 million.

With this kind of offer, it wouldn’t have been a big surprise if Mariota decided to hit free agency and find a new team for him.

However, the Hawaii native told Rob DeMello of KHON2 that remaining with the Raiders was the best opportunity for him.

"I think at the end of the day, the adversities, the challenges that you face, ultimately will kind of develop who you are," Mariota said via KHON2. "I'm just excited to hopefully get over that hump.

"I feel like I've gotten healthy. I have an opportunity to have a little bit of stability, something that's kind of been elusive in my career. I'm just excited to be in a place that I'm comfortable. I'm confident. I'm just going to do everything I can help this team win."

Additionally, Mariota isn’t down about the pay cut but rather, “excited to be a Raider” and play under Jon Gruden.

"I think at the end of the day, I focus on controlling what I can control," Mariota said. "That's the product in the field. Every day I wake up, I train, and get ready to go. At the end of the day, we're very blessed to play this game for a living.

"A lot of us make a really good amount of money. For me, I just love playing the game. The excitement, the opportunity to be a Raider, overcame all of that. To be here in Vegas, to be a part of this organization meant a lot more to me. I'm excited to be able to come back."

In comparison, Mitchell Trubisky signed a $2.5 million deal to become the backup quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, while Joe Flacco signed a $3.5 million with incentives to become the backup for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Either way, Mariota will remain a Raider for at least another season.

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