Eagles' Marcus Mariota Has Moved Past the 'What If' Game
It took eight years and detours through Nashville, Las Vegas, and Atlanta for Marcus Mariota. Even a quick trip home to Hawaii since agreeing to terms on March 20 before the new Eagles backup quarterback finally made it to Philadelphia this week.
The circumstances of that arrival were a lot different than expected in 2015 when many in the City of Brotherly Love demanded the Eagles “do the deal,” believed to be Philadelphia’s own 2015 first- and second-round picks, their 2016 first-round pick, any quarterback on their roster at the time (likely Sam Bradford) and any defensive player on their roster (likely Fletcher Cox) in exchange for the No. 2 overall pick and the chance to get Mariota.
This time it took only $5 million to get the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner in the fold as the insurance policy behind Jalen Hurts.
Rewind to 2015 and the Eagles' head coach was Chip Kelly, who had mentored Mariota at Oregon before jumping to the NFL. The Honolulu native was viewed as the perfect vessel to bring to life Kelly’s offensive vision based on tempo, run-pass options, and zone-read looks, that in hindsight was ahead of its time.
Ironically, it was Kelly’s predecessor with the Eagles, Andy Reid, who advised then-Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt to just draft the quarterback if you truly believed in him instead of taking the king’s ransom.
Reid wasn’t wrong because if you insert his current QB Patrick Mahomes the recommendation is sound.
Hindsight says the Titans got it wrong with Mariota, who started for part of five seasons, winning just 29 of his 61 starts with the team before moving on to a two-year stint as Derek Carr’s backup for the Raiders, and a one-and-done opportunity in the big chair last season in Atlanta.
Mariota knew what was coming on Wednesday during his introductory video call with the media and was certainly prepped for it.
“There were a lot of different scenarios and [the 2015 draft] was such an interesting time for me because as the process goes, your agent will sit down with you, usually the night before, and say ‘hey, this is where I think you’ll end up,'" Mariota said. "My agent at the time was like, ‘I have no idea.’”
The truth was it was the Titans were the heavy favorite and the Eagles were the lone long shot that was in position to upset the apple cart because Kelly really did want Mariota.
“So, just be prepared for everything. We really didn’t have any idea where I’d go, but I’m grateful for the opportunity I had in Tennessee and just appreciate the support from all those teams at the time,” Mariota said, deftly deflecting the what-might-have-been scenario.
There’s enough of a sample size now to realize Whisenhunt and the Titans' evaluation of Mariota as a franchise guy was off base but situations matter in the NFL and there is little doubt the best opportunity for Mariota would have been at the hip of Kelly.
“I think it’s easy, eight, nine years later to play the what-if game, but I’m forever grateful for the Titans to give me an opportunity,” Mariota said. “I’m grateful for the time I had with the Raiders and the time I spent with the Falcons, I wouldn’t change that for anything.
“I think ultimately it made me not just a better football player but it has made me a better man.”
A better man who has the unique experience for his new job description as the backup to an emerging superstar.
There are very few QB2s who can relate to the pressure of being the face of a franchise and Mariota can serve as an experienced sounding board for everything that might be in front of Hurts.
"I’m at a point in my career where I’ve experienced everything," Mariota noted. "I’ve been the guy, I’ve been a scout team guy, I’ve been released, so through all those different situations and scenarios I just gathered a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge."
Famed philosopher Soren Kierkegaard may have encapsulated Mariota's story centuries earlier noting, "Life can only be understood backward; but it must be lived forward."
And Mariota is pressing on with many lessons learned.
"I’m at a point in my career where I just want to enjoy the game," said Mariota. "I want to have fun doing it. ... The fact of the matter is, I feel like I can help Jalen, and if we can make Jalen a better player, this team’s going to be better."
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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
