Marcus Mariota’s last start came on Oct. 13, 2019, when he was still with the Titans. He has thrown only 31 passes for 254 yards with a touchdown and an interception since.
Mariota signed with the Falcons for a chance to start again. Then, the Falcons used a third-round draft choice to select Desmond Ridder.
“For me personally, the last couple of years was a learning opportunity,” Mariota said after Thursday’s offseason workout, via Charles Odum of the Associated Press. “Previously, when I was at Tennessee, I had an opportunity to play. I was a starter. Being around that and then going and learning for a couple of years, I’m kind of hungry to get back on the field again.”
Mariota was beaten out of his job in Tennessee by Ryan Tannehill, who said after the Titans drafted Malik Willis that it wasn’t the veteran quarterback’s job to mentor the rookie. The initial comment, which Tannehill later said was blown out of proportion, opened a debate about how much a veteran quarterback should help a teammate trying to take his job.
Mariota, though, vows to mentor Ridder.
“Absolutely,” Mariota said. “I kind of always view that relationship in the quarterback room as important and special. I always felt that a good quarterback room can allow everybody to be better and allow everybody to grow. . . . At the end of the day, if they’ve got questions or I’ve got questions, they’re a great set of eyes for me as well.”
Mariota started 61 games for the Titans before leaving to backup Derek Carr with the Raiders for two seasons. Now, he has a starting job again. The only question is how long he will have it.
