Marcus Mariota returning to Raiders

The Raiders and Marcus Mariota have come to an agreement on a restructured contract that will keep him in Las Vegas in 2021 while giving the Raiders salary cap flexibility to address other needs.

Mariota was slated to make $10.7 million in the last year of the two-year contract he signed last year. The salary was not guaranteed, which provided the Raiders leverage to approach Mariota about redoing the deal at a number much more in line with what backup quarterbacks are making in a reduced salary cap year.

“I’m just excited to be a Raider,” Mariota said in an interview Tuesday on KHON-TV in Honolulu. “Everyone talks about Las Vegas being the ‘Ninth Island’ and for me, this is as close as I can get to playing for my hometown.

“I’m just excited to come back and get ready to go.”

The Raiders do not officially announce salary restructures, but Mariota reportedly accepted a new deal that pays him $3.5 million in base salary, with incentives that can push the deal to $8 million.

Mariota’s options were limited, especially after a number of quarterback-needy teams secured their signal-callers for 2021. His choice essentially came down to agreeing to redo the deal or being cut by the Raiders and entering a free agent market with few starting opportunities and a rapidly evaporating money pool.

“I think at the end of the day, I just focus on controlling what I can control,” he said. “That’s the product on the field. Every single day, I wake up and train and get ready to go.

“A lot of us make a really good amount of money and for me, I just love playing the game. The excitement and opportunity to be a Raider kind of overcame all of that. To be here in Vegas and be a part of this organization meant a lot more to me. I’m excited to be able to come back.”

The $7 million windfall increases the Raiders’ available salary-cap space to $11.3 million, according to Spotrac’s latest calculations. That puts them in good position to pursue more help in free agency, with free safety, right tackle and slot cornerback still pressing needs.

Had Mariota not agreed to the changes, the Raiders were prepared to cut him. Mariota, who appeared in one game last year after battling injuries through most of the first part of the season, will now return to Las Vegas to back up Derek Carr for at least one more season.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.