What happened to Marcus Mariota? Why Titans QB was benched for Ryan Tannehill, turned into a draft bust

Author Photo
Marcus-Mariota-011620-Getty-FTR.jpg

It turns out there may have been no winners in the "Suck for the Duck" sweepstakes.

With Marcus Mariota planted firmly on the Titans' bench, it looks like the former Oregon Duck's career in the Music City is hitting a sour note and will soon come to a screeching halt. Ryan Tannehill is entrenched as Tennessee's starting quarterback, and it looks as though that will be the case heading into the 2020 season and beyond.

The curious case of Marcus Mariota doesn't just boil down to the player: it's a 101 course in "How Not To Treat Your Franchise QB." While a lot of blame does fall on Mariota's shoulders, the instability of the Titans during his tenure plays into it a fair amount.

Here's what happened to the once-promising career of Mariota, from the promise of his rookie season to his 2019 struggles and subsequent benching,

TANNEHILL TIMELINE:
How new contract with Titans led to a career revival for ex-Dolphins QB 

What happened to Marcus Mariota?

There's a lot that went into Mariota's benching, but what happened to Marcus Mariota can be melted down into three words: inconsistency, injuries and ineffectiveness.

Inconsistency: Not solely inconsistency with the player, but the organization, as well. The start of Mariota's NFL career mirrors that of former 49ers QB Alex Smith: both dealt with different offensive coordinators in their first five seasons of the league. That's tough for any young QB coming into the league, but especially for Mariota: he dealt with different three head coaches (Ken Wisenhunt, Mike Mularkey, Mike Vrabel) and four different offensive coordinators in his first five seasons at the helm. That much turnover around the QB can wreak havoc on a player's progression. 

That's not to say that Mariota is absolved of his sins. While a promising 2016 season painted a picture of progression, he reverted to his turnover-prone ways in 2017, an issue he hadn't had in the college ranks.

Injuries: In every season except 2019, Mariota has dealt with some sort of injury that has forced him to miss time. While he's still played in a possible 56 games out of 64 in the four seasons leading up to 2019, there's not much room for doubt that some of his injuries have gotten in the way of his progression, potentially breaking his confidence along the way.

Ineffectiveness: Since his promising 2016 season during which he threw 26 touchdowns to just nine interceptions, Mariota's production has gone downhill. He threw 13 touchdowns to 15 interceptions in 2017, and set a career-low in TD passes in 2018 with just 11. Despite having the best offensive unit of his career around him in 2019, he threw seven touchdowns in six games, with two, three-score performances in Week 1 and Week 4.

Along with that, Mariota's indecisiveness and confidence seemed to be completely shattered and his pocket awareness took a nosedive, as well: while the Titans' offensive line was underperforming, Mariota was still sacked 25 times in his first six games. 

MORE: Ranking 2020 NFL free-agent QBs, from Tom Brady to Ryan Tannehill

When was Marcus Mariota benched?

Mariota was told to ride the pine during the team's Week 6 loss to Denver. He was benched in the third quarter for Ryan Tannehill after throwing for just 63 yards and two interceptions.

Is Marcus Mariota injured?

Ironically, this is the first season that Mariota had been healthy for the entirety of his tenure — though he was sacked 25 times in just six games. 

Throughout his career, though, Mariota has dealt with a bevvy of injuries:

  • In 2018, he dealt with an elbow injury and a neck stinger that forced him to sit out two games.
  • In 2017, he dealt with a hamstring injury that sidelined him for a game.
  • In 2016, Mariota broke his fibula in Week 16 vs. the Jaguars.
  • In 2015, he dealt with a sprain MCL in his right knee on two different occasions, with the second sprain ending his season prematurely.

Marcus Mariota contract, free agency

Mariota was a free agent following the 2019 season, the final season on his rookie deal, and left the team that drafted him for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The former No. 2 overall pick hit free agency the same time as the only player who went before him in the 2015 NFL Draft, Jameis Winston.

There was, obviously, a lot of gray area as to what Mariota could make on the open market. The Raiders likely view him as a salvageable starting quarterback, or at minimum, a top-quality backup? Mariota will be 27 this upcoming season, so chances are this will be his last real shot at becoming a starter or prove his worth in the league. Whether or not he seizes that opportunity with the Raiders remains to be seen.

Author(s)
Joe Rivera Photo

Joe Rivera is a senior content producer at The Sporting News and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater, Rutgers University.