Quarterback EJ Manuel got just what he wanted Thursday: a new deal with the Oakland Raiders.
“Today has been a very good day,” he tweeted.
Manuel, 28, could have departed as an unrestricted free agent, but signed a new deal with the team to remain as the No. 1 backup to Derek Carr. He’s now one of four QBs on the roster, with Connor Cook and Josh Johnson – who signed this week – also competing for jobs next season behind Carr.
Manuel, once a first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills, came to the Raiders last year. The 6-foot-5, 237-pounder from Florida State, the 16th overall pick in the 2013 draft, started one game for the Raiders in 2017 and appeared in another – both when Carr was hurt – and completed 24-of-43 passes for 265 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Terms of the deal with Manuel were not announced.
Recently, new Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said he believes in Manuel and knows how important it is to have a No. 2 quarterback who can step into the lineup and win, pointing to what Nick Foles did for the Philadelphia Eagles last season.
“I like EJ Manuel, honestly,” Gruden told Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. “I had him (on his ESPN Show “QB Camp”) as well (as Connor Cook). I think EJ’s a young, talented guy. He’s been in the facility down there on his own, working out every day. There’s a bright, I think, upside to him, too, as a young quarterback to keep working with.”
