The Washington Commanders still have no idea what they're going to do with the No. 2 overall pick, and newly-signed veteran Marcus Mariota certainly doesn't know, either.
So, he's bracing for just about anything as he prepares for his ninth season and fifth team.
"If I'm called upon to be ready to play, I'm very confident in that," Mariota said after he officially signed his contract. "And I'm also very confident in my role as a mentor."
Mariota, a former No. 2 overall pick himself, wasn't beguiled about the situation he was walking into when he signed with Washington. He knows that the Commanders are likely to take one of the top quarterbacks in the draft, which would mean that he'll be the primary backup like he was with the Eagles in 2023. There's also a chance, however small, that he sees some action this season, whether that's through injury to the starter or possibly even winning the job outright in training camp.
No matter what his role ends up being with the Burgundy & Gold, he feels that he's suited for both.
"Whatever this staff, whatever this team needs of me, I'm going to do it to the best of my ability and just ultimately win games here," Mariota said.
While Mariota has been a starter for most of his career, the past four seasons have seen him primarily fill the role of backup for various teams. His action in Philadelphia was limited behind Jalen Hurts, appearing in just three games and completing 15-of-23 passes for 164 yards with a touchdown and interception. Prior to that, he was the Raiders' backup from 2020-21, creating a few exciting moments in relief for Derek Carr.
Mariota has had a winding career for someone who was drafted by the Titans to help turn around their roster. Although he put up some of the best passing numbers in franchise history, a mixture of injuries, including an ulnar nerve issue that lingered throughout the 2018 season, and performance to his time in Tennessee generating mixed reactions. He was later benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill, who took the Titans to the AFC Championship.
The same could be said of his season in Atlanta, where he reunited with former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, who was also the Titans' offensive coordinator from 2019-20. A decent start to the 2022 campaign, during which Mariota accounted for 13 total touchdowns compared to six interceptions and led the Falcons to a 4-4 record, was followed by a 1-4 stretch in Weeks 9-13, which led to him being replaced by Desmond Ridder for the rest of the season.
As Marcus Mariota gets ready for the 2024 season, take a look back at some of the previous stops in his career. (Photos via The Associated Press)
FILE - Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) warms up near the sidelines during an NFL wild-card playoff football game Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 in Tampa, Fla. The Washington Commanders have added a veteran quarterback in free agency. The team agreed Tuesday, March 12, 2024, with Marcus Mariota on a one-year contract with a base salary of $6 million worth up to $10 million, a person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit, File)
Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) looks towards the sideline during an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Nov. 19, 2015, in Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville won 19-13. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota (1) looks to pass during an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in Atlanta, Ga. The Saints defeated the Falcons 27-26. (Paul Abell via AP)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) warms up near the sidelines during an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) in action before an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) warms up before an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) is seen during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) rolls out to pass in action against the Carolina Panthers Saturday August 20, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee (Damian Strohmeyer via AP)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) rolls out during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota passes against the Indianapolis Colts in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/James Kenney)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) is tackled by Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Nigel Bradham (53) in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
File-This Aug. 19, 2017, file photo shows Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) talking with head coach Mike Mularkey before an NFL football preseason game in Nashville, Tenn. Mularkey has asked Mariota to use those valuable seconds before the ball hits his hands to counter a defense ready to blitz or positioned to blow up what the Titans previously called into the quarterback. “Putting more on his plate that he can hopefully get us to the right play,’’ Mularkey said. “Not a lot, but just enough to maybe save us a couple of snaps.†(AP Photo/James Kenney, File)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) calls a play during NFL football training camp Friday, Aug. 5, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota (1) lines up under center during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, in Atlanta, Ga. The Falcons defeated the Bears 27-24. (Paul Abell via AP)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) runs for a gain of 19 yards and a first down on a third down play in the fourth quarter during the 2016 NFL week 5 regular season football game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2016 in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Titans won the game 30-17. (Paul Spinelli via AP)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) scrambles for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) throws the ball during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016 in Chicago. Tennessee won 27-21. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) drops back to pass the football during an NFL AFC wild card playoff football game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018, in Kansas City, Mo. The Titans won 22-21. (Scott Boehm via AP)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) looks to pass during the AFC divisional round game against the New England Patriots Saturday January 13, 2018 in Foxboro, Mass. (Damian Strohmeyer via AP)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota looks for a receiver against the New England Patriots in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/James Kenney)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota throws a against the Kansas City Chiefs during a NFL preseason game on Friday, Aug. 28, 2015, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won the game, 34-10. (G. Newman Lowrance via AP Images)
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) throws a warm up pass prior to an NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021 in Las Vegas. Washington won the game, 17-15. (Paul Jasienski via AP)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) scrambles nine yards up the middle for a touchdown during a 2018 NFL week 9 regular season game against the Dallas Cowboys, Monday, Nov. 5, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. The Titans defeated the Cowboys, 28-14. (James D. Smith via AP)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes during NFL football training camp Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota (1) throws from the pocket in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Monday, Oct. 3, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota runs with the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota passes during NFL football training camp Sunday, July 31, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota (1) runs with the ball during an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, in Tampa, Fla. ( Tom DiPace via AP)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) runs the football during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017, in Houston. The Texans defeated the Titans, 57-14. (Ryan Kang via AP)
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) throws the ball during a week 6 NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday, Oct. 16, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee won 36-22. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
At the same time, Mariota has shown that he can step in as a starter and even succeed in that role. He had the Titans in position for a playoff run in 2016, throwing 26 touchdowns to just nine interceptions, prior to breaking his leg in Week 16; he led his team to the playoffs in 2017, sparking a comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs by scoring a touchdown on a throw he made to himself; he stepped for an injured Carr with the Raiders in 2020 and nearly pulled off a win against the Chargers; and he did have a handful of impressive moments with the Falcons, who found ways to utilize his dual threat skill set.
So, for what it's worth, Mariota is right; he's experienced a lot of what the NFL has to offer, and he's willing to pass that knowledge on to younger players.
"All those experiences create value and create opportunities for me to build relationships with guys," Mariota said. "I can build with the top guy on the roster to the very bottom of the roster. I think that's important. Sometimes you need guys like myself to be able to glue guys together and be an advocate for the guys."
Mariota is also uniquely positioned to help mentor the Commanders' first-round pick, assuming they take a quarterback. The situation they would walk into with the Commanders, who have looked for a long-term answer at the position since Kirk Cousin left in 2017, is similar to the one Mariota was in during his rookie year. Eight quarterbacks started a game for Tennessee between 2010-14, including Vince Young, Jake Locker, Matt Hasselbeck and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Mariota said there is an expectation for a quarterback taken that high be "the savior," which can be a lot to take on.
"And I think for me now, to be able to have gone through that experience, if that's the way we go, I can provide a little bit of comfort knowing that you [need to] be your best version of yourself," Mariota said. "Don't worry about everything else. Don't worry about the expectations. Just go out there and try to get better every day and the rest of it will fall into place."
There is still a chance that Mariota ends up seeing at least some starting snaps even if the Commanders take a quarterback. General manager Adam Peters said the league's annual meetings last week that having Mariota means that "we don't feel we have to rush anybody," possibly meaning that a rookie quarterback can sit and learn behind an experienced veteran.
As for whether that comes to fruition, Mariota said "we'll have to wait and see." Of course, he would jump on the opportunity if it presented itself; that's why he's in the NFL, and that competitive drive hasn't gone away despite being a backup for the second half of his career.
His goals for the team are bigger than his own interests, though.
"I'll never let my ego get in the way of what's most important for the team," Mariota said. "I really believe if that's my role, if I'm called upon to play, I'll do it to the best of my ability. If I'm asked to..help coach a young guy or whoever is with us in that quarterback room, I'll do it to the best of my ability.
"At the end of the day, I'm here to win games, and I want to be part of a franchise that puts together a good product on the field."
