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Jameis Winston’s new contract pales in comparison to Marcus Mariota’s

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Mariota’s deal with Raiders is much better

2015 NFL Scouting Combine
Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston

Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota will always be connected.

They won back-to-back Heisman Trophies, Winston was the No.1 overall draft pick, while Mariota was the No. 2 pick, in 2015 and they are both on new teams this year after having spotty results as starting NFL quarterbacks.

So, yes, the comparisons will always continue. But in terms of their second NFL contracts, there is no comparison. Mariota blows Winston out of the water.

On Wednesday, details emerged about Winston’s one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, where he will backup Drew Brees. It was shocking how meager, in NFL terms, the deal was. Here are the deets:

Mariota’s deal with the Raiders is much more lucrative. He signed a $1.76 million two-year deal with the Raiders. He is getting paid $7.5 million this season. The deals includes and escalators and incentives like Winston’s.

But the difference is Mariota’s deal is for two years, his incentives are much bigger and his payment for this year is much higher. There is a chance the Raiders can get out of next year’s money, but Mariota will certainly be paid handsomely this year. Unlike Winston, the way Mariota’s contract is setup pays him good money if he becomes the starter. The Raiders jumped on Mariota early in free agency, while it took Winston several weeks to find work.

What does it all mean? Mariota has the belief of a team even though he lost his starting job in Tennessee.