Perhaps it would be easier to mention the quarterbacks Washington isn't interested in acquiring.
So far we've heard reports and rumors putting the Football Team on the scent of Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold, Derek Carr, and, as recently as Friday afternoon, Russell Wilson. Now there's another Raiders passer being linked to Washington.
According to former NFL exec Michael Lombardi, Washington is "extremely interested" in Marcus Mariota.
"There's a lot of conversations about Mariota getting traded," Lombardi told sports betting network VSiN. "I know there's one team in the NFC East, the Washington Football Team, that's extremely interested in Mariota."
"Mariota's problem is simply this: He's due to make $10 million this year," Lombardi continued. "If you trade for that contract and you make him your starter, that contract's $20 million. Because he's got so many incentives in that contract. So it's gonna be very challenging for you to trade for him without re-doing that contract. Nobody's gonna take that deal and want to pay him $20 million when you really don't know what you're getting. What Mariota are you getting?"
The thinking here is whichever team acquired Mariota would be betting on a Ryan Tannehill-like resurgence. Which, ironically, it was Mariota whom Tannehill replaced in Tennessee, so perhaps that's flawed thinking.
Mariota, 27, signed a two-year, $17.6 million free agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020 but only appeared in one game, completing 60.7 percent of his passes for 226 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also ran the ball nine times for 88 yards and a touchdown.
The second overall pick in 2015, Mariota never quite developed into the franchise quarterback the Titans hoped he would be, but that's not to say he was bad. Across five seasons in Tennessee, Mariota completed 62.9 percent of his passes for an average of 209.6 yards per game with 76 touchdowns against 44 interceptions.
Washington re-signed one-game wonder Taylor Heinicke to a two-year contract extension last week. He expects to compete for the starting job in training camp.
