Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota starred in the Netflix documentary 'Quarterback' when he was with the Atlanta Falcons. The former Oregon Ducks star Mariota was very complimentary to the Netflix video team but revealed how 'brutal' parts of the experience was.
"I will say our crew that we had for Netflix, awesome. They're unbelievable... Especially with Kiyomi (Mariota's wife) being pregnant with her first, like very respectful of the space and all that," Mariota said on Bussin' With The Bots. "It was old though. After really like a week, I was like, 'I don't know why I signed up for this.'"
"I was mic'd for like every practice, every game. It was brutal," Mariota continued.
Aug 10, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (0) looks on during the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The former Oregon Duck is a fan-favorite and is known as being more reserved and private. When asked why he did the show, Mariota was very honest.
"I'm not going to lie to you, the money was good. So I was like, I'm not going to turn that down," Mariota said.
Mariota also complimented the Netflix team for how they kept his home a 'safe space' and were not intrusive during his wife's pregnancy.
The series aired in 2023 and features behind-the-scenes footage of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, and Mariota. The 8-episode series followed Mariota during the 2022 NFL season, documenting his time with the Atlanta Falcons.
It was an interesting time for Mariota, as his daughter, Makaia, was born and there was turmoil with the Falcons, who ended up starting then-rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder over Mariota. Mariota also had knee surgery to add to the busy time.
'Quarterback' will return for Season 2 on Netflix, giving NFL Fans exclusive access to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousinsthrough the 2024–25 NFL season.
Produced by NFL Films and Omaha Productions, is scheduled for release July of 2025.
During the 2024 season, Mariota played for the Washington Commanders as the backup for NFL Offensive Rookie Of The Year, Jayden Daniels. As a free agent in 2025, Mariota decided to return to the Commanders on a one-year, $8 million deal.
After signing his contract, Mariota addressed why he chose to return to Washington instead of moving on to a different team.
"The grass isn't always greener and being around this league for a long time, you understand that when you have a good thing and you have a great culture and you have a great room, that's not everywhere," Mariota said. "At the end of the day, something was going to have to really knock my socks off to leave this place, and I'm very happy and very blessed to be back and I'm excited to make another run with this team."
Commanders coach Dan Quinn spoke to the value that Mariota brings to the quarterback room after selecting Daniels out of LSU with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“In a perfect scenario, a young quarterback would have a leader to also learn from, but perfect rarely happens. But we do have that in Marcus Mariota. Him sharing nine years of gold with Jayden, I think, has been something that’s really cool for us to see. Rookie quarterbacks usually don’t get that, and we do," said Quinn.
Mariota was recently in Eugene during the NFL offseason. At Oregon's spring football practices, Mariota met Texas four-star running back recruit Tradarian Ball, who posted a photo with the Heisman Trophy winner.
Once a Duck, always a Duck... When former Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel was drafted in the third round to the Cleveland Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft, Mariota was one of the first people to reach out. Gabriel revealed the message that Mariota sent to the newest member of the Browns.
"He was," Gabriel said after being drafted. "His ability to continue to respond and keep fighting. His career wasn't perfect in any way early, but you see a guy who's been an elite teammate and great guy in the building. Also, continue to try and play at a high level. I think the ebs and flows and the ups and downs he's continued to fight through - I think you can learn a lot from somebody like that as well as him being an Oregon Duck and that connection in Hawaii. He's a trailblazer for us all. Just appreciate anything he can tell me and be able to share with me so I can be a sponge and learn from him."
One thing is certain, whether Mariota is on a major show or not, Oregon Ducks fans are interested in what he's up to.
