data-mm-id=”_38rg86brr”>Marcus Mariota could be in a different uniform come September. The Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback has received a lot of interest from other teams interested in acquiring his services, as reported by Ian Rapoport earlier this week. From NFL Now: The #Raiders could trade a QB… but maybe not the one who has been in the headlines. pic.twitter.com/EEcXd2WtLt— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 10, 2021Mariota is still only 27-years-old but hasn't held a starting job since his final season in Tennessee in 2019, when he was benched for Ryan Tannehill and the team subsequently went on a run to the AFC Championship Game. Mariota's relative youth and dual-threat ability will appeal to teams looking to strike gold in a reclamation project similar to how Tannehill surged following a change in circumstances. Here are four teams who realistically will do their best to trade for the former Heisman Trophy winner. Washington Football Team The WFT doesn't have an answer at quarterback as things stand. Taylor Heinicke got a contract extension for almost beating Tom Brady in the playoffs but there's nothing to suggest he's the answer for next season, much less past that. Kyle Allen is in the same boat and Alex Smith could very well retire. Mike Lombardi reports Washington has already expressed great interest in Mariota. He would be the best option for Washington in terms of upside and risk level. At his worst, he won't be any worse of an option than what Washington did last year, and if he can show an ability to make NFL-level throws while remaining a threat on the ground, Washington is a serious playoff contender. They won't be able to trade for any of the big-name QBs on the market and none of the upcoming free agents will come at the same cheap price combined with upside that Mariota can present. Indianapolis Colts Per usual, the Colts rank near the top of any potential destinations list for a quarterback on the market. They have a championship-level roster everywhere except QB. GM Chris Ballard will want to swing bigger than Mariota; the team has reportedly been in discussions with Philly for Carson Wentz and clearly believe a high-upside quarterback is what they need. Mariota would be a relative disappointment in that regard, but could definitely be acquired for less than what the Eagles want for Wentz and it's hard to say he could be worse than Wentz was this season if given the opportunity. The Colts will be looking at every possible option this offseason, and Mariota is included. New Orleans Saints The Saints have real cap space problems, but the cap ceiling is fake and the front office would figure out a way to fit Mariota's $10 million cap hit under the umbrella if Sean Payton desired it to be so. Mariota can throw better than Taysom Hill and is nearly as threatening as a runner. Jameis Winston is probably out in New Orleans as a free agent with a chance to make some big bucks. Mariota is a good reclamation option for the offensive brilliance of Payton. Replacing Drew Brees wont' be easy, but if Payton can unlock Mariota's better half, the Saints have a good enough roster to seriously compete in 2021. Chicago Bears This would infuriate Bears fans, to be sure, but Mariota is probably better than Mitch Trubisky. Chicago doesn't have an answer at QB as things stand and bringing back Trubisky feels, from the outside, like a break-in-case-of-emergency option. They can't and shouldn't give up the farm for Wentz and even a middling QB like Mariota could be a good enough game manager to win some games with the quality defense of Chicago behind him. It's not an exciting choice, but sending out a fourth-round pick for Mariota is much better than trading two firsts for Wentz. They should be in on the Mariota talks.
Related Posts
data-mm-id=”_7eq9soe01″>The Knicks lost by an astounding 44 points to the Bucks Monday night. They're 4-17, tied with the Warriors for least wins in the NBA. They don't really have purpose or direction and it's not necessarily clear how much of this is David Fizdale's fault — would you feel better about him if the Knicks were, like, 7-14? — but given that he was put on notice by management weeks ago, there were questions on whether this Bucks loss was so resounding that Fiz would lose his job. Speaking on The Jump on Tuesday, Brian Windhorst explained that he's "mildly surprised" that didn't happen yet:"The team has not responded really well to the adversity," Windhorst said. "The only thing that they really have left to do right…
data-mm-id=”_nihzelpie”>Eli Manning retired six weeks ago. There was a press conference and everything. That is a fact. But did he have dinner last night?Since the former New York Giants quarterback has no social media presence, it is impossible to tell. All we have to go on are rumors that he had dinner, like this one that was started by an account run by a dog associated with the Pardon My Take podcast. Hearing from sources that Eli Manning is meeting for dinner with the Chicago Bears this evening bark bark— NFL Insider Leroy (@LeroyInsider) March 5, 2020A few hours later, Cole Wright, a human being who works for Chicago's Marquee Sports Network and Sirius XM's NFL channel, also tweeted that Eli had dinner on Wednesday night. Again, that he specifically ate dinner with th…
data-mm-id=”_qo44cz8ij”>The 2019 NFL season not only brought us the youngest MVP in league history, it gave us a nearly-unprecedented Year 2 leap from Lamar Jackson. In the spirit of projecting similar jumps from good to great, Colin Cowherd took a stab at predicting which of the sophomore quarterbacks has the best chance to win MVP in 2020. Cowherd's choices were Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones, Dwayne Haskins, Jarrett Stidham, Drew Lock, and Gardner Minshew. His pick? The signal-caller for the Denver Broncos. Which 2nd-year QB has the best chance to win MVP?"I'm going to bet on Drew Lock." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/CjfbLtJWB2— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 13, 2020As a brief aside, the most outrageous thing Cowherd says here is that all of these guys ar…
data-mm-id=”_ctse9v2dq”>Robert Griffin III hasn't been shy about voicing his belief that Robert Griffin III should start in the NFL again. His limited performances as a member of the Ravens haven't backed up his boasting, but today, against the best defense in the NFL, RG3 gets a chance to prove himself.With reigning MVP Lamar Jackson ruled out of today's game against the Steelers (10-0) while on the COVID list, Griffin will start at quarterback for the Ravens (6-4). He started against the Steelers in Week 17 of last season when the Ravens rested Jackson with the No. 1 seed already locked up, which didn't work out as they lost to the Titans in their first playoff game. While the Ravens beat the Steelers to wrap up the 2019 regular season, Griffin was subpar, complet…
data-mm-id=”_7av1xdp4f”>Some stunning stuff from the FS1 airwaves this morning as power player Colin Cowherd assembled a Top 10 list for the upcoming NFL season devoid of a certain star-shaped franchise. This came either before or after he compiled a list of five obvious takes. So many assorted numerical-based pieces of content to keep track of all at once. The man has the mental capacity of the entire 2014 Buzzfeed newsroom working together. Anyway, Cowherd does not believe the Dallas Cowboys are going to be any good this season. Instead, he thinks they'll be average. Nine and seven is average remember. Here are his reasons, some of which are quite reasonable. In fact, Dallas might not be the 14th -or 15th- most successful team when the smoke clears. "I don't have Dalla…
data-mm-id=”_cpnp7xc75″>If anything, the last few weeks in the NFL have reminded fantasy football players of the importance of the waiver wire. And that's coming from me, the guy who writes about the waiver wire every week. We all need contingency plans this season, and Week 6 will be no different. Here are the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 6. (Note: With Titans-Bills playing on Tuesday night, waiver claims will not go through until overnight Wednesday in ESPN leagues this week. All stats via ESPN PPR leagues.) Chase Claypool / Justin K. Aller/Getty ImagesChase Claypool, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (Available in 91 Percent of ESPN Leagues) Duh. Claypool was a fantasy superstar this week in the process of scoring four touchdowns, three through the air and one on th…
data-mm-id=”_bhkiblka4″>Odell Beckham Jr. worked out on an empty field in Arizona last night. Nearly half the teams in the NFL had a representative in attendance as everyone tries to gauge how much OBJ will be worth when free agency kicks off next week. For a guy we haven't seen on any field since Super Bowl LVI, he looked pretty good. And he made a one-handed catch so he's clearly fine. Had to show love to my guy @obj at his private workout! pic.twitter.com/Nu4OJm1lOL— Prince Amukamara (@PrinceAmukamara) March 11, 2023Beckham Jr. looks as good as one could hope after tearing his ACL 13 months ago. Game speed and empty field speed are still two entirely different things. There will be plenty of interest in the wideout anyway because he was pretty good the last time we saw h…
data-mm-id=”_5dpjva6jv”>Ron DeSantis has been having a rough week. Polls show him trailing Donald Trump significantly in the chase for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, and several viral moments have popped up recently that haven't shown him in the most favorable light. Another happened on Friday. During a campaign stop in Iowa, DeSantis laid out all the things he had done while governor of Florida and punctuated it with, "And our state has never been better as a result of our decision to keep Florida free." It was an exclamation point line meant to garner uproarious applause. But it was delivered in the now-patented robotic DeSantis tone. As a result, he didn't quite get the reaction he was expecting. Here's video:please clap pic.twitter.com/M6sYiC8xsS— …
data-mm-id=”_sc2evsswv”>Andrew Marchand's latest investigative report dives into the blocking and tackling behind those infamous Aaron Rodgers appearances on the Pat McAfee Show. Avert your eyes if you can't handle the hard truth of sausage-making but it appears the controversial quarterback has not been swinging by most Tuesdays out of the goodness of his heart and interest in conversing with the boys in increasingly impressive studios. “Aaron Rodgers Tuesdays” and “Nick Saban Thursdays” have become staples of the program and the sports media world. But there is a special sauce that makes it all go. McAfee spends millions to procure these interviews, The Post has learned. Rodgers is receiving more than seven figures per year to come on the show each week, according …
data-mm-id=”_cqdr3rloq”>It wasn't so long ago that the Philadelphia Eagles were cruising to the NFC East crown and looked very much like a team capable of returning to the Super Bowl and perhaps winning it this time. Then the wheels feel off. Nick Sirianni's team has lost four of five. They need the Dallas Cowboys to fumble the bag to avoid taking on a path that might require they win three road games before booking any flight to Las Vegas. This, combined with an unquenchable thirst for content, has birthed an idea that Sirianni could be in some sort of danger should the Eagles go out sad. On its face, this seems absurd. Sirianni has won immediately and often. There are some real problems to solve in order to get where this team wants to go but, man, it's the NFL and 11-…