Marcus Mariota's Raiders Contract Can Pay Him an Insane Amount and it Seems Like a Bad Investment

The Las Vegas Raiders confirmed last week that they would have a genuine competition at starting quarterback in 2020 when it was reported that the team signed free agent Marcus Mariota, the former No. 2 overall pick of the Tennessee Titans.

After a long wait, the contract details of Mariota's move to the Sin City have finally arrived.

Per NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the maximum value of Mariota's two-year deal is set at $37.5 million. Though the base salary is a little less than $9 million per year (two years, $17.6 million), the Raiders are making a gutsy call here with the number of incentives they've included in this contract.

A fascinating deal that also includes a mountain of incentives and escalators that would pay Marcus Mariota starter money if he plays and has success. Max value: $37.5 million. https://t.co/OCYnkQt8qZ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 23, 2020

Take a breather before we dive into the details of the incentives, because they are a lot to digest.

If Mariota were to play 60 percent of the snaps at QB for Las Vegas, he'd pocket up to $2.4 million. The 26-year-old could earn another $1.5 million based on playing time per game and how many wins he registers.

Those particular incentives will spike to a value of $10 million in 2021. There's also a $12 million salary escalator next season as well. If the Raiders were to shock the world and make a deep playoff run, Mariota would bank an extra $2 million.

Mariota gets up to $2.4 million if he plays 60% of the snaps in 2020. Another $1.5m is available in per-game playing time and win incentives. Has $10m in those incentives available in 2021. Also $2 million in playoff/Super Bowl incentives each year + $12m in 2021 salary escalator
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 23, 2020

There's a handful of "ifs" involved in this deal, but it still seems like an unnecessary risk for Las Vegas. There's really no reason to think that Mariota couldn't win the starting job over Derek Carr, who reportedly doesn't see eye-to-eye with head coach Jon Gruden, and meet a number of the incentives in his contract in Year 1 with the Raiders.