Mariota said Tuesday that he's ready to serve as Derek Carr's backup with the Raiders, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports. "First and foremost, this is Derek's team, and I understand that," Mariota said.
Mariota was awarded a two-year, $17.6 million contract with $7.5 million guaranteed last week, sparking rumors of a job battle between Carr and Mariota. The former Titan was quick to shoot down those rumors, but there's no way to spin it as a positive for Carr when his team brings in the highest-paid backup in the league. Carr may still have security for the Week 1 starting job, but he'll be looking over his shoulder if he struggles early in the season.