Washington Football Team: Exploring every potential quarterback trade target
QB Marcus Mariota, Raiders
A second Raiders quarterback on this list? Sure, it’s possible. The Raiders have a couple of good quarterbacks but may be willing to move one of them for the right price.
Unlikely Carr, Mariota didn’t play much in 2020. He served as the backup for Las Vegas. He relieved an injured Carr against the Chargers and went 17-of-28 for 226 yards, one touchdown, and one interception through the air. On the ground, he totaled 88 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.
In that game, Mariota showcased that he is further removed from the elbow injuries that plagued him during his time with the Tennessee Titans. He threw the ball well and only had a couple of bad throws. One was behind his receiver and resulted in an interception. The other was a dropped pick.
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Mariota has always been noted for his accuracy and plus-mobility. The only question was about whether or not he could stay healthy and make enough dynamic plays through the air to be a top quarterback. At this juncture, the latter issue remains a concern, but it’s clear that when he’s healthy, he can do enough to keep defenses off-balance, especially with his legs.
Mariota is just 27 and carries less than an $11 million cap hit in 2021. That’s the last year of his contract and in terms of the QB market, that’s a bargain. It could be worth trading a Day 3 pick to acquire Mariota’s services in hopes that he can re-emerge as the leader of a competent team and post a season with 28 total TDs as he did back in 2016.
If Washington wants to get a low-cost, low-risk veteran, Mariota would fit the bill. He’s probably a better option to target via trade than Carr, and a QB room of Mariota, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, and Alex Smith (if he wants to play in 2021) would be a nice quartet to compete for the starting job. Plus, it would let them use their first-round pick on another position of need, so this is one of the more underrated moves that Washington could pull off to upgrade the position.
Of course, Gruden likes hoarding talented quarterbacks, so he might not want to trade Mariota considering how valuable he can be as a backup for the Raiders (or as competition to push Carr).