Marcus Mariota was a college football legend as the quarterback for the Oregon Ducks. Mariota capped off his illustrious college career by winning the Heisman Trophy award in runaway fashion. He also walked away with the Davey O’Brien Award as the best QB in college football and the Maxwell and Walter Camp awards, recognizing CFB’s best player, regardless of position.
The Tennessee Titans selected the well-decorated signal-caller at No. 2 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota was to be the face of the Titans’ franchise for the next decade-plus, but unfortunately, his career took a long and winding path to where he is today.
Which Teams Has Marcus Mariota Played For?
Tennessee Titans
The Titans and the NFL thought Mariota would become one of the burgeoning superstars of the league. Upon being drafted by Tennessee, Mariota’s jersey soared to the top as the No. 1 selling jersey in the league, outpacing even the GOAT, Tom Brady.
Mariota started his NFL career off with a bang. In his regular-season debut, he attained a perfect QB rating while throwing for four touchdown passes in the first half. Mariota would be named AFC Player of the Week, and the Titans had found their superstar — or so they thought.
Mariota’s rookie season was cut short due to an MCL injury that would cost him the final two games of the regular season.
During his second season, Mariota would continue to show glimpses of greatness. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November and had the Titans heading for their first playoff birth in eight years.
Unfortunately, in Week 16, Mariota fractured his fibula, knocking him out for the rest of the regular season. The Titans would finish 9-7 and miss the playoffs yet again.
In his third professional season, Mariota was hellbent on vanquishing the Titans’ playoff demons, which he did in leading them to the 2017 NFL playoffs. Mariota led a feverish rally after the Titans were down 21-3 to the AFC West champion, Kansas City Chiefs.
Mariota did the unthinkable, catching his pass, which was batted back by Chiefs defensive back Darrelle Revis, and scored a remarkable touchdown. He would complete the comeback, earning the Titans a 22-21 victory over the Chiefs. Unfortunately, Tennessee would fall the following week to the Brady-led New England Patriots.
Mariota and the Titans expected to continue the momentum during his fourth season, but unfortunately, he would regress. The Tennessee QB would suffer various elbow and neck injuries throughout the 2018 season, requiring the Titans to turn to backup Blaine Gabbert. The combination of Mariota and Gabbert could not get the Titans over the hump, and Tennessee fell short of the playoffs.
Mariota set out on redemption during the 2019 season, his fifth in the NFL. He was wildly inconsistent throughout the beginning of the season, and during a dreadful Week 6 performance against the Denver Broncos, Mariota was benched for Ryan Tannehill.
Tannehill was named the starting QB the following week. The following offseason, the Titans signed Tannehill to an extension and waived goodbye to Mariota.
Las Vegas Raiders
The injuries for Mariota continued to mount up. In the offseason of 2020, Mariota was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders to backup starter Derek Carr.
The season began horrendously for Mariota as he was placed on the injured reserve list almost immediately. He would return in October but only saw limited action in Week 15.
The 2021 season was eerily similar to 2020, as Mariota would again spend time on IR, this time with a quad injury. He returned later in the year but was used primarily as a gadget player.
Atlanta Falcons
In 2022, Mariota signed a two-year, $18.75 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons. He was the starter for a large portion of the season before handing over the reins to 2022 rookie QB Desmond Ridder.
In February 2023, the Falcons released Mariota.
Philadelphia Eagles
Mariota signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. When Mariota entered the league, there was rampant speculation that the Eagles — coached then by Mariota’s former college coach Chip Kelly — would make a bold move up to draft him.
The trade never came to pass, but Mariota now finds himself, finally, in an Eagles jersey.