Marcus Mariota: My vision’s always been to be a starter

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Marcus Mariota took a pay cut in order to remain with the Raiders this offseason and that leaves him in line to be Derek Carr‘s backup for the second straight season.

There was talk of trading Mariota, but the Raiders didn’t find a match. His initial salary and the bad ending to his run as a starter with the Titans likely limited interest from other teams, but Mariota said that the state of affairs has not changed the way he views his place in the NFL.

“My vision’s always been to be a starter and to be successful at that position. That has not changed, even in the circumstances that I’m in right now,” Mariota said, via the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “If there’s an opportunity elsewhere, I’m going to go out there and take it. If a team wants to take a chance on me, great. I’ll be ready to go.”

While Mariota’s vision may be on starting again, he said he understands his role with the Raiders and sees an opportunity to grow as a player this year despite his reserve status. Getting a chance to show that growth at some point during the regular season would help his bid to return to the first string in the future.