Philadelphia Eagles' Marcus Mariota Ready for 'Full-Circle Moment' with Jalen Hurts vs. Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa
When the Philadelphia Eagles host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night, there will be some mixed emotions from Jalen Hurts’ backup, Marcus Mariota.
Before becoming Philadelphia’s No. 2 quarterback, Mariota was a Heisman winner in college and a Hawaii legend on the gridiron, the same state that produced Dolphins starter Tua Tagovailoa.
When Tagovailoa was coming up, Mariota helped mentor the quarterback who would eventually take the starting job from Hurts at Alabama.
“It’s a full-circle moment,” Mariota said. “I’ve known Tua since he was a young man. And even at a young age, he had the skills and the abilities that we all kind of looked at each other like, he’s going to be pretty good. To see where he’s at now and all the things that he’s persevered through, it’s been really, really cool for me.”
Marcus Mariota’s relationships with current teammate Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and former mentee Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins are in the crosshairs when the teams play this weekend.
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Mariota also acknowledged the odd contrast in the relationship dynamic stemming from his closer bond to the opposing quarterback than his new Eagles teammate Hurts.
“It’s going to be such a weird scenario, right? I’ve known Tua for so long,” Mariota said. “I’m getting to know Jalen. It’s really cool to kind of see all these different relationships, and I’m excited for a great game.”
Mariota expressed that during Tagovailoa’s time in college, he offered encouragement and preached the importance of just controlling what you can control and offering his perspective on what he saw on the field, something he called similar to what he provides Hurts now.
“Football has a crazy way of knocking you down,” Mariota said.
Hurts and Tagovailoa’s careers will always be linked because of what happened at Alabama, and although each one has excelled in the NFL using different skill sets, Mariota believes it’s because of their similarities as men and their college hardships that they thrive today.
“They’re complete gentlemen, and at the same time, they’re just unbelievable competitors,” Mariota said. “They just want the best for the team, and that says a lot. I think the reason they’ve both had so much success in their professional careers is a result of what happened at Alabama.”
The Eagles and Dolphins kickoff from Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. ET.
