NFL 2020: 10 Free agency signings that will backfire

At first glance, this might not seem to be a bad signing. The Las Vegas Raiders were in need of some depth behind Derek Carr and while Marcus Mariota did lose his job last season — and the Tennessee Titans were significantly better without him — he’s still a former No. 2 overall pick with playoff experience. Should something happens to Carr, Mariota will be able to keep the team treading water.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

The problem is, Mariota is going to quickly become the most popular person on this roster, and that’s something that happens a lot when the backup can play and the starter doesn’t have the full support of the franchise. For the Raiders, that perfectly describes the situation with Carr. He’s a talented player but has just one winning season and there have been reports of head coach Jon Gruden wanting to move on.

Carr has shown frustration with these rumors and even took to social media to show that. Adding Mariota, who has some exciting skills, is only going to get under Carr’s skin, especially when the Vegas fan base starts chanting for the backup with every incomplete pass.

And if this scenario does play out to where Mariota takes over, there’s a whole new set of problems. One issue is his wild inconsistency and the other is his durability. Mariota can have some seriously bland performances mixed into the season and has had a difficult time staying on the field. He’s not the answer but when Carr struggles, he has enough to convince people he might be.