The Las Vegas Raiders managed to kickstart their busy offseason with the signing of former Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota in free agency.
Head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock were not shy about acknowledging the prospect of shoring up some quality depth under center. Although they may have done their due diligence on the quarterback prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft, they ultimately opted to go with a more experienced option to back up Derek Carr.
In many ways, things have come full-circle for both Gruden and Mayock with the addition of Mariota. After all, they are already quite familiar with what the former No. 2 overall pick out of Oregon in the 2015 NFL Draft brings to the table.
Twitter user StillRyanFive posted a clip that showed Gruden and Mayock sharing some heavy praise for Mariota on draft night when they were both analysts:
Good time to throw this clip back on the timeline: Both Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden with some thoughts on QB Marcus Mariota, the prospect. pic.twitter.com/82T8E9nate
— ryan, a jerry jeudy fan (@StillRyanFive) March 17, 2020
Mayock was clearly enamored with Mariota’s skill set as a dual-threat quarterback. His ability to make plays with both his arms and legs made him an ideal fit as the NFL’s new prototypical option under center.
Meanwhile, Gruden doubled down on Mayock’s comments regarding Mariota’s athleticism. However, he emphasized the fact that he would do most of his damage from the pocket as a precision passer.
Although Mariota managed to fit the billing early on, he was never able to develop into the bonafide franchise quarterback that the Titans, Gruden and Mayock had all pegged him to be. His tenure with the Titans came to an end following a rough 2019 NFL season that saw him throw for 1,203 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions en route to a 2-4 record before effectively being replaced as the starter by Ryan Tannehill.
Regardless, it is clear that the Raiders are still intrigued with Mariota’s potential as a quality backup. After all, the 26-year-old still has plenty of time to develop and get his career back on track.
