He might be down and out now, but soon-to-be former Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota isn’t finished, and if recent events have shown us anything, he’s not finished by a long shot.
If you need proof, look no further than current Titans quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, who unseated Mariota as the starter after the Week 6 game last season.
After being discarded by the Miami Dolphins in an offseason trade with the Titans and having many writing his career off as a bust, Tannehill had a resurgent 2019 season.
Not only did Tannehill have one of the best seasons of any player at his position, he also led the Titans to the playoffs after a 2-4 start and won Comeback Player of the Year.
For his efforts, Tannehill received a massive contract extension from the Titans on Sunday that locks him in as the team’s franchise quarterback and pays him $118 million over four years.
My, how far we’ve come.
Tannehill always had the talent, but there’s no question that fitting into the right system run by offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was a big difference-maker for him.
As Mariota looks for a new home in 2020, he should absolutely follow the blueprint that Tannehill has laid out.
And that blueprint should not only have Mariota looking for a team that has a vulnerability at quarterback, but also the right system that can fit his skill set in order to get the most out of him.
Clearly the latter never really happened in Tennessee and the former No. 2 overall pick can’t afford to have that happen again.
Wherever he ends up, nobody should be writing Mariota off yet. Just like his good friend in Nashville, the Oregon product can revive his career in the right situation — he just has to find it first.