The free-agent market for Marcus Mariota should be very robust this offseason. He’s healthy. He’s got a ton of experience and he is only 28 years old. With so many teams searching for competent quarterback play this offseason, Mariota should be in for a big payday.
But what team(s) will be interested in Mariota? The usual suspects include the Washington Commanders, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints. However, what if a team with a young quarterback decides to bring in Mariota to help be a bridge?
In a recent article by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, he suggested that the 49ers could be interested in Mariota to help second-year quarterback Trey Lance. Here is a snippet of his thoughts on why Mariota to San Francisco would make a ton of sense.
“If the 49ers move on from Jimmy Garoppolo, which is largely expected, they could spend money on an accomplished free-agent quarterback to pair with Trey Lance. That would give San Francisco flexibility, with the new quarterback either supporting Lance in a backup role or actually starting games if Lance needs a little more developmental time — at a lesser cost than Garoppolo is due in 2022 ($25.5 million).
Mariota would make a lot of sense in that scenario. He would thrive off coach Kyle Shanahan’s designed runs while providing experience.”
On the field, Mariota fits perfectly into Kyle Shanahan’s offense. They use a ton of play-action and misdirection to keep defenses honest. The quarterback in Shanahan’s offense needs to be able to take care of the ball and make quick throws and reads. Those are all strengths of Mariota and his ability to run makes him an even better fit.
While Lance is still the future in San Francisco, Mariota would give the 49ers a high floor at quarterback and someone who can help him develop. As long as the salary matches up, this seems like a perfect fit for all parties.
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