With Derek Carr still firmly cemented in as the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders, backup Marcus Mariota has shifted some of his attention elsewhere. Mariota remains on the roster in Las Vegas as the backup but he still has his eyes set on being a starter in the league again.
Via Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mariota is paying attention and keeping tabs on the quarterback market and other situations around the league.
“It is my goal (to be a starter again), so I do keep tabs on what’s going on,” Mariota said. “For us as players, it’s kind of important to see what the landscape is. That being said, I enjoy this team. It’s a great organization to play for.”
Mariota is doing quite the tight rope walk of mentioning how he enjoys being on the Raiders while also hinting at wanting other opportunities that revolve around being a starting quarterback again.
One obvious spot, and perhaps the only one right now, rests with the Indianapolis Colts. Carson Wentz underwent surgery on his foot and will miss anywhere from 5 weeks to 11 weeks for the Colts. What they plan to do in the absence of Wentz is yet to be seen but perhaps Mariota could be an option.
For the Raiders, they probably like having Mariota as the backup in case something happens to Carr. The asking price could be a bit steep since Las Vegas doesn't have to trade him and would be operating from a spot of leverage.