Marcus Mariota signed with the Las Vegas Raiders as the backup quarterback, but his contract contains clauses worthy of starter.

Mariota’s two-year, $17.6 million contract includes a $7.5 million base salary for the 2020 season. His base salary makes him the league’s highest-paid backup quarterback, according to a report.

Mariota’s base salary for the 2020 is just $500,000 less than the base salary of Teddy Bridgewater, who is set to earn $8 million in base salary as the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.

Mariota signed with the Raiders in March and he acknowledged his status as the backup to starter Derek Carr. However, the Raiders loaded Mariota’s contract with incentives that if there all met, he could earn $37.5 million during the two-year contract. However, Mariota would need to become a starter to reach some of the incentives in his contract. There are some observers who think Mariota will ascend to the position at some point during the season.

Carr struggled during the second half as the Raiders fell out of the playoff race during the 2019 season. Carr has posted one winning season as a starer in his first six seasons with the Raiders and he has never competed in a playoff game. Las Vegas coach Jon Gruden doesn’t seem to be all-in with Carr and his patience could be wearing thin.

The contract Gruden gave to Mariota could be an indication of his confidence in Carr. The Raiders expect Carr to perform and help deliver wins and ideally, a playoff berth in 2020. However, if Carr falters, struggles or injured, they have prepared themselves by signing Mariota, who has been a starter for the majority of his career and has won a playoff game on the road.

-- Geoffrey C. Arnold | @geoffreyCarnold