Marcus Mariota Opens Up on Commanders’ Return, Mentoring Jayden Daniels

Marcus Mariota is finally OK with being a backup in the NFL, since he found the perfect situation.

The Washington Commanders‘ backup quarterback recently opened up about returning to the Commanders after he returned on a one-year, $8 million contract to back up Jayden Daniels.

Mariota re-signing in Washington puts to bed his nomadic journey where he played with five teams in six seasons after spending his first five seasons with the Tennessee Titans. The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner was picked second overall by Tennessee in the 2015 NFL Draft.

But Mariota, who has started 74 games in the NFL but just 19 in the past six seasons, decided to stay put in a situation where he will be backing up, and mentoring the 2024 NFL Rookie of the Year.

Why Did Marcus Mariota Want To Re-Sign With The Commanders?

Mariota played with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021, the Atlanta Falcons in 2022, the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 before finally signing with the Commanders before the 2024 season.

But even though he is locked into the No. 2 spot on Washington’s depth chart, Mariota wanted to come back because he felt wanted by coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

“For me, it was one of those things hard to pass up, and you want to go somewhere where you’re wanted, and they were very adamant that they wanted me back for another year,” Mariota told Spectrum News Hawaii. “I love coach DQ and Kliff and the offense, and for me, it was like a no brainer.”

Plus, Mariota got in on the ground floor of the Commanders’ renaissance. They, of course, went 12-5 and ran to the NFC Championship Game before falling to his former club and the Super Bowl champion Eagles.

That run re-affirmed the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia’s love for the organization, under the culture change of first-year owner Josh Harris, plus Quinn and Daniels.

“[We] went through this run that we did, and toward the end of the year, you start to see kind of how that fan base loves the team,” Mariota said. “Being in that area, the DMV area, it’s what people talk about, and they love it up there.

“I’m excited to see kind of what that turnout looks like, especially with our new owner, and kind of what they’re doing with the franchise in the organization.”

What Is Marcus Mariota’s Role With The Commanders?

Mariota saw a younger version of himself in Daniels, since both came out of college primarily as running quarterbacks. But unlike what Mariota had in Tennessee, Daniels has a helpful mentor guiding him in his NFL journey.

“I felt like I was kind of reliving my career, in a sense, where I was trying to help guide him in this, in ways where maybe I made a mistake or where I could have been better,” Mariota said. “So it’s kind of like reliving that all over again. That experience was really fun for me. It was actually really rewarding and to have someone like Jay, who’s just an unbelievable dude off the field, too.”

Mariota has gotten to play more than a decade in the NFL, and he is content and clear with his responsibilities of supporting Daniels.

“To stand here 11 years in — very, very few people get an opportunity to do that,” Mariota added. “I’m just kind of having fun with it, rolling with the punches. Whatever comes, if they need me, I’m ready to play. Otherwise, I’m here for Jay, and just making sure he’s playing to the best of his ability.”