E.J. Manuel is remaining with the Silver and Black.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Thursday afternoon that the Oakland Raiders have re-signed the 28-year-old quarterback. Manuel joined the team on a one-year, $800,000 deal last off-season.
The #Raiders announced the signing of reserve QB EJ Manuel.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 22, 2018
Oakland Raiders Bringing Back Backup Quarterback E.J. Manuel
Manuel served as a backup to Raiders incumbent starter Derek Carr last season. But he was thrust into the spotlight after Carr suffered a transverse process back fracture in Week Four against the Denver Broncos. Manuel played the remainder of that game and subsequently got the start the following week against the Baltimore Ravens. He completed half his passes and threw for one touchdown in the 30-17 loss.
The initial timetable for Carr’s return was two to six weeks. He certainly came back within the low end of that window as doctors cleared him to play against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week Six. That pretty much spelled the end for Manuel in terms of game reps as he didn’t see the field for the remainder of the year. Overall, the team as a whole endured a disappointing campaign as they finished 6-10 and third in the AFC West.
Prior to his tenure with the Raiders, Manuel spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills. Expectations were high for the Florida State product as Buffalo selected him in the first round (16th overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft. But things never quite panned out. He started 10 games as a rookie and threw for 1,972 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In Week Five, he suffered a sprained LCL and was forced to miss five games.
The following year showed some initial promise. He won his first two starts, garnering a respectable 95.2 passer rating in those games. But things fell apart two weeks later against the Houston Texans. He completed just 47.7 percent of his passes and threw a costly pick-six that J.J. Watt took the other way for a touchdown. Then Bills head coach Doug Marrone benched him in favor of Kyle Orton who proceeded to go 7-5 as a starter the rest of the way.
The signing of Tyrod Taylor in 2015 pretty much relegated Manuel to backup status for the remainder of his tenure in Buffalo. He made three starts in place of an injured Taylor over the next two years, going 0-3 in those games. All in all, he made out pretty well financially despite things not working out on the field. He earned a total of $8,885,300 during his time with the Bills.
