Marcus Mariota has rightly received criticism for not delivering on the expectations of a No. 2 overall pick, but you’ll never hear anyone say a negative word about him as a teammate and person.
We saw an example of that recently after Mariota signed a two-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons.
His former teammate, A.J. Brown, who spent just one season with Mariota, called him “the best leader I ever been around,” a quote that caused some controversy when it shouldn’t have.
Head coach Mike Vrabel is the latest Titan to heap praise on Mariota, noting he loves “everything about him,” including the person he is, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“There’s not a better person in this league than Marcus,” Vrabel said. “And I’m happy that he gets to have a chance to be a starting quarterback. I love the person, and love everything about him.”
Because of his qualities as a teammate and human being overall, it’s easy to root for Mariota wherever he goes, even though things didn’t work out in Nashville, something that wasn’t entirely his fault.
After spending two years as a backup with the Las Vegas Raiders, Mariota has a legit shot to be the Falcons’ starting quarterback, as he’s far and away the best signal-caller on Atlanta’s roster upon his arrival.
And, interestingly enough, Mariota gets a chance to revive his career as a starter with former Titans offensive coordinator, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, who oversaw Tennessee’s offense when Mariota was benched in 2019.
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