Marcus Mariota's 31 yards and the burst of energy that came with it Monday night will prove to be his last for a few weeks.
Mariota is expected to miss multiple weeks after aggravating a quadriceps injury during his lone snap of Las Vegas' overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. The best-case scenario will mean Mariota is back well before Halloween, though it's uncertain at this time.
The play on which Mariota aggravated the injury was at least productive, with Mariota running through a modified triple option right up the middle of the Ravens' defense for the 31-yard pickup early in the primetime affair. It was just a taste of what the Raiders planned to do with the former Oregon star, sprinkling him in on offense to create a bit of uncertainty as occasional quarterback rotations pick up steam around the NFL (San Francisco and Chicago, for example) in 2021.
Mariota performed admirably in relief duty last season, leading some to believe he might have a market in free agency in 2022. With this in mind and a year left on the deal he signed in 2020, Mariota agreed to a new contract that included a no-trade clause, giving Mariota the first and final right of refusal on any potential trade to a destination he doesn't desire. Playing Mariota would have helped Las Vegas manufacture some unpredictability, and it would have given the former No. 2 overall pick a chance to produce some fresh tape for a team (or teams) in pursuit of a quarterback ahead of the trade deadline.
All of that is on hold for now as Mariota turns his focus to healing.
