The Raiders placed Marcus Mariota on injured reserve Monday, leaving Nathan Peterman as the No. 2 quarterback for at least the first three games of the season.
Mariota, who has missed time with various physical problems, did not practice as the Raiders began preparations to face the Carolina Panthers in their regular-season opener.
DeShone Kizer, meanwhile, was signed to the practice squad, with Peterman to preparing as the backup to quarterback Derek Carr Sunday in Charlotte, N.C.
In other moves, offensive tackle Sam Young and linebacker Kyle Wilber were signed to the 53-man roster and rookie Tanner Muse (toe) joined Mariota on injured reserve. Neither coach Jon Gruden nor general manager Mike Mayock were available for comment.
Peterman, who was retained as a restricted free agent for a $2.1 million figure, recently agreed to a $1 million salary for the 2020 season.
Under this year’s injured reserve rules, players who made the original 53-man roster can be designated for return and be back after three games. In previous years the absence was eight games.
It’s been clear Mariota hasn’t worked out as expected, and the hope is the time on I.R. can get the 27-year-old veteran physically ready to assume the role he signed on for on March 16.
The news on Mariota comes two days after the Raiders traded third-round draft pick Lynn Bowden Jr. and a sixth-round pick to Miami, an admission they had misjudged the selection of the 80th player taken in the 2020 NFL draft.
Everything about Mariota’s signing suggested the Raiders were expecting considerably more than they’re getting.
First off, there was the money. In terms of salary, only two non-starters are making more money — Jacoby Brissett of Indianapolis and Alex Smith of Washington. Both signed their deals as starters.
In terms of straight salary for a player signed as a backup, Mariota’s $7.5 million figure is the highest in the NFL and his cap number of $9.125 million is the sixth highest on the team. There are incentives which could make it a two-year deal worth $17.6 million but at this point that possibility seems light years away.
It made sense too, given that Gruden loved Mariota coming out of Oregon in 2015 and so did Mayock. Both were in the media at the time, Gruden working for ESPN and Mayock as the main draft analyst for the NFL Network. Both had Mariota ahead of Jameis Winston, who went No. 1 to Tampa Bay just before Mariota was drafted by Tennessee.
“He runs 4.52 40, he is incredibly elusive, and man, is he a playmaker and a great competitor,” Gruden said. “I see him functioning in the pocket, out of the pocket, and if you want to run a zone-read, he’ll rip the defense apart. He is like Russell Wilson, only he is 6-4.”
Even allowing for the fact that television draft analysis on a panel is all about hyperbole and debate, that’s high praise.
Mayock was asked in August about his preference for Mariota over Winston.
Nathan Peterman will serve as the Raiders backup quarterback for at least the first three games of the season. (AP Photo) AP Photo
“I felt like Marcus took care of the football better, plus he had the element of being able to extend plays and use his legs,” Mayock said. “So, if you ask me what the determining factor in that conversation was, that was it right there.”
So it’s fair to assume that both men believed Gruden could take Mariota places he never went in Tennessee, as well as give a gentle nudge to Carr in that there was an alternative more threatening than Matt McGloin, Connor Cook or Mike Glennon. In theory, Mariota would not only present the possibility of having someone who could give the offense a lift instead of just being a placeholder, but be available for occasional formations designed to use his mobility as a change of pace.
Mariota wasn’t a bad quarterback with the Titans, but he never looked like a player that could alter the fortunes of a franchise, either.
In four seasons, Mariota was 29-32 as a starter. When he was benched at 2-4 last year in favor of Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee went on a playoff run and Tannehill cashed in on a four-year contract extension worth a maximum of $114 million and $62 million in guarantees.
Other than one early practice where Gruden said Mariota did some good work with his legs and was “dazzling,” those present at practice haven’t painted a rosy picture of his passing skills.
Mariota hasn’t been made available to the press at any point since his signing. Gruden and Mayock have both referred to physical issues without being specific.
Both men gave up a little more information on Sirius XM NFL radio spots, alluding to “ankle and feet” issues and mentioning surgery. Gruden also mentioned a shoulder problem during camp, and the NFL Network reported Peterman had a pectoral strain.
Perhaps because both Gruden and Mayock held such a high opinion of Mariota five years ago, they jumped a little too quickly in signing Mariota. Winston, for example, is getting about $2.7 in salary and bonus from the New Orleans Saints, coming aboard on April 26 after Tampa Bay signed Tom Brady.
Peterman, a fifth-round draft pick by Buffalo in 2017 twice ascended to the starting position at quarterback but had abysmal results. He was 1-3 as a starter, completing 52.3 percenet of his passes with three touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
“I know he’s got some nightmare performances in the NFL, but when you watch the film, you can see why — it’s not all his fault,” Gruden said after Peterman came aboard. “He has some experience. He was an opening day starter for the Buffalo Bills last year.”
The Raiders signed Peterman to the practice squad in December of 2018, then to a reserves/futures contract. He spent last season on injured reserve after an elbow injury during the preseason and remained at the facility, going to meetings and learning the system.
Wilber, who has played for the Raiders for the past two seasons and served as a special teams captain, was released at the cutdown to 53. The transactions involving Young and Muse were confirmed by Mayock Sunday during a conference call.
The Raiders still have one spot available on their practice squad.
