Last season didn’t go according to plan for Marcus Mariota. In fact, one could say it was a disaster.
A starter for the Titans since he was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2015, Mariota lost his spot to his backup, Ryan Tannehill, after going 2-4 in six starts for Tennesse. That could shake the confidence of any QB, even a former Heisman Trophy winner such as Mariota.
Adding further to Mariota’s confidence issues, he’s dealt with numerous injuries in his career, dating back to his rookie campaign. Raiders general manager Mike Mayock was apparently aware of those concerns when he acquired Mariota to be Las Vegas’ backup, behind starting quarterback, Derek Carr.
“We got to rebuild him a little bit to get his confidence back,” Mayock said over conference call Tuesday. “Build him up from the ground up. It’s going to take a little while, I think, just to get him healthy and where he wants to be, but we’re excited about the quarterback room.”
Mayock also mentioned Mariota already knows that he and coach Jon Gruden think highly of him; the GM, a former draft analyst for NFL Media, named Mariota his top QB in the ’15 draft. Gruden, himself a former TV star on ESPN, hosted Mariota on “Gruden’s QB Camp.” around the same time.
“He knows that both of us believed in him coming out and still believe in him,” Mayock said Tuesday.
Even with all that belief, Mariota is still the backup to Carr, who has started for the Raiders since his rookie campaign in 2014 and intends to keep his spot.
Mayock said Mariota has done well to accept his reality in recent interviews, expressing plainly that the Raiders are Carr’s team. Another part of Mariota’s reality, of course, is the opportunity to improve as a player under Gruden, taking a step toward perhaps fulfilling his potential.
“He wants to become the best version of Marcus Mariota that he can become. And that’s the way we look at it,” said Mayock. “Let’s see who the best Marcus Mariota is, and, in the meantime, we love what we have with Derek Carr so we’re real happy with our quarterback room.”
Though Mariota’s confidence must increase, he stands to push Carr more than any of his previous backups have. Mariota has started 61 games in his career, though he’s won just 29. He has a playoff win to his credit, however, after the Titans beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium — where Carr has struggled as a Raider — in the 2017 playoffs.
But as Mayock intimated, much has to happen for Mariota to take Carr’s spot. Mariota will be rewarded due to an incentive-laden contract if he does, adding fuel to any speculation about the Raiders QB job. Plus, one only has to look at what happened to Mariota last year in Tennessee to realize how quickly fortunes can turn in the NFL.
Mariota is staying in his own lane, though. He’s known as a good teammate, even during the disaster that was his 2019 campaign. So while Carr has the inside track, Mariota is doing all can to build his confidence, and perhaps pass Carr in the process.