Soon-to-be former Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota will hit the open market this offseason and will undoubtedly be looking to sign with a team that gives him the best chance to start right away in 2020.
If that opportunity doesn’t present itself, his next option will be to target a team that has a vulnerability at the position, like the Chicago Bears or Las Vegas Raiders, to name a few.
If he fails to land in situations like those two, his last resort will be to take a backup job on a team that has a clear starter, and one of those spots could be the Arizona Cardinals.
In a recent article by CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, he says a “well-connected NFL source” believes that Mariota could land with the Arizona Cardinals as Kyler Murray’s backup.
“Totally fits what they are doing. I think he’d be great with Kyler (Murray).”
Of course, this isn’t based on anything concrete and there is no rumored interest on the Cardinals’ part. This is simply an opinion of La Canfora’s source.
With that said, this kind of move would make sense for Arizona if the price is right.
Mariota would be a solid insurance policy for a dual-threat quarterback like Murray in the event of an injury. The Oregon product has the kind of athleticism that makes him a perfect fit in the Cardinals’ offense and would allow them to keep running their offense without missing a beat.
The former No. 2 overall pick could also help in the development of Murray during his second season in the NFL.
However, Mariota might not exactly be a fan of joining the Cardinals, as they have an established starter who the team spent the No. 1 overall pick on in the 2019 NFL Draft and won’t be abandoning anytime soon.
Adding to that, Arizona doesn’t have a ton of talent on offense for Mariota even if he does get playing time, and the Cardinals have a lot of work to do in shoring up an offensive line that allowed 50 sacks last season.
So, is Mariota going to the Cardinals absolutely out of the question?
No, but Arizona is a team that should be much further down on his list of desired destinations if he’s trying to get back to being a starter as soon as possible.