With Commanders quarterback Jaeden Daniels’ status up in the air for Sunday’s game against the Bears, Washington may have to turn to veteran backup Marcus Mariota as the starter. Mariota filled in last week after Daniels missed the game against the Panthers with a rib injury, and the fellow former Heisman winner led the Commanders to a 40-7 blowout victory.
Mariota played as a future franchise quarterback at one point in his career, winning the Heisman Trophy at Oregon in 2014 before dropping out of college. Although the veteran’s career didn’t go as planned, Mariota still fills the backup quarterback role admirably.
Sporting News takes a look at Mariota’s career ahead of his potential first start of the season on Sunday.
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How many teams did Marcus Mariota play for?
Year Teams 2015-19 Titans 2020-21 Raiders 2022 Falcons 2023 Eagles 2024 Commanders
The Titans drafted Mariota with the No. 2 overall pick in 2015 and expected him to become the team’s franchise quarterback for some time. From 2015 to 2018, Mariota started 55 of the 64 games he was available for, including leading the team to the playoffs in 2017. However, after both Mariota and the team took a step back in 2018, Tennessee benched Mariota in favor of Ryan Tannehill in 2019. , leading the team to the AFC Championship Game.
After the 2019 season, Mariota was sought after as a backup quarterback option in free agency and signed a two-year contract with the Raiders. Mariota did not start a game in Las Vegas, but appeared in 11 games as both a backup and Wildcat quarterback, although Derek Carr was the starter for two seasons.
Once his tenure with the Raiders was up, Mariota signed a one-year deal with the Falcons in 2022, reuniting him with former Titans offensive coordinator and then-Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith. However, Mariota struggled that year, resulting in the Falcons benching him in place of rookie Desmond Ridder.
Mariota has since returned to backup, first with the Eagles last year and now with the Commanders. If Mariota starts Sunday, it will be his first start for the Falcons since 2022.
Marcus Mariota’s lifetime earnings
As a former No. 2 overall pick, Mariota signed a four-year, $24 million deal with Tennessee, a very healthy first contract. The Titans also picked up his fifth-year option in 2019, which was worth just under $21 million that season.
Mariota, who became a free agent, signed a two-year contract worth $17.6 million with the Raiders in 2020, but Mariota took a pay cut before the 2021 season and only made $3.5 million that year, so he signed with the Raiders. I reworked it. After his time with the Raiders, Mariota agreed to a two-year, $18.75 million contract with the Falcons, but the team released him after just one season.
Over the past two seasons, Mariota has signed backup QB deals with teams in the NFC East, first signing a one-year, $5 million deal with the Eagles last year and then signing a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Commanders this season. . After this season, Mariota’s lifetime earnings will total $75.5 million over nine seasons, according to Spotrac.
