Quarterback Marcus Mariota understood when he re-signed with the Washington Commanders this past March that he won’t see significant playing time during the upcoming season unless starter Jayden Daniels goes down with an injury.
Mariota seems just fine with continuing to mentor Daniels for at least one more year.
“For me, it was one of those things hard to pass up, and you want to go somewhere where you’re wanted,” Mariota recently said about staying with Washington, as shared by Brian Mcinnis of Spectrum News. “And they were very adamant that they wanted me back for another year. I love coach [head coach Dan Quinn] and just [offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury] and the offense. And for me, it was, like, a no-brainer. …Whatever comes, if they need me, I’m ready to play. Otherwise, I’m here for [Daniels], and just making sure he’s playing to the best of his ability.”
In June, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated detailed how the Commanders retaining Kingsbury, Mariota, pass game coordinator Brian Johnson and quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard made it “easy for the entire quarterbacks room to hit the ground running when the offseason program started in April” coming off Washington’s trip to the NFC Championship Game. Daniels ran away with the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award after he completed what’s been called one of the best debut seasons ever produced by a quarterback, and he’ll once again have Mariota as a locker room confidant and adviser this coming fall.
As for Mariota, he ultimately became a journeyman after the Tennessee Titans made him the No. 2 pick of the 2015 NFL Draft. Thus, he has seen and experienced things as a pro that are foreign to a younger potential superstar such as Daniels, the second overall choice of the 2024 player-selection process.
“It was really unique for me, because I felt like I was kind of reliving my career, in a sense, where I was trying to help guide him in this, in ways where maybe I made a mistake or where I could have been better,” Mariota said about working with Daniels. “So it’s kind of like reliving that all over again. That experience was really fun for me. It was actually really rewarding. And to have someone like Jay, who’s just an unbelievable dude off the field, too.”
As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Commanders sixth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026. Part of Mariota’s job later this year may be to ensure that such information doesn’t go to Daniels’ head as the 24-year-old looks to avoid enduring a so-called sophomore slump.
