Marcus Mariota flips the script on anniversary of getting benched by Titans
It was this week three years ago, in October of 2019 when the Tennessee Titans first benched quarterback Marcus Mariota and made the switch to Ryan Tannehill as their starter. That fateful game in Denver would greatly alter the future of the Titans franchise and the careers of both quarterbacks involved. Tannehill saw a resurgence […]
It was this week three years ago, in October of 2019 when the Tennessee Titans first benched quarterback Marcus Mariota and made the switch to Ryan Tannehill as their starter.
That fateful game in Denver would greatly alter the future of the Titans franchise and the careers of both quarterbacks involved.
Tannehill saw a resurgence to his NFL career, amassing 33 wins in three years, and leading Titans to three consecutive playoff appearances behind a 101.3 quarterback rating. He earned himself a 4-year $118 million contract in the process.
Mariota's career, meanwhile, took a turn for the worse. He signed on as a backup quarterback with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he threw a total of just 30 passes in two seasons as the backup behind Derek Carr.
Entering 2022, Mariota signed with the Atlanta Falcons, reuniting him with former Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who was hired as the head coach in Atlanta. While it seemed like a good fit for Mariota to get opportunity, the Falcons turned around and drafted quarterback Desmond Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, just one month after signing Mariota. That's usually a sign that you're not viewed as the long-term solution.
Yet after all of that, things may finally be turning around for the former number two overall pick.
On the three year anniversary of his benching in Tennessee, Mariota led the Falcons to an upset 28-14 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, improving to 3-3 on the season and keeping their playoff hopes very much alive.
Mariota went 13/14 with 129 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, and three total touchdowns on the day.
After the big win, Mariota spoke to the media, and brought up how much the anniversary of his benching motivated him. The 28-year old QB reflected on his time in Tennessee and the journey that has taken place over the last few years.
"It's a long journey. Three years ago, I was benched in this week," Mariota said of his comeback. "You go through a process of looking within and reflecting. Throughout that journey for me I knew I had to find my confidence to play at a high level. When you get your confidence taken away from you, it's tough as an athlete. To be able to build myself back up through the Raiders organization, through the Atlanta organization, it's been very important for me and critical for my career."
Mariota was then asked if the anniversary of his benching was on his mind at all or a source of motivation for him.
"Today it did, a little bit," Mariota said. "You look back on it…at that point in time in my career, you feel like you're part of a good team, good organization and if you get the ball rolling you'll be there for a long time."
While things didn't work out in Tennessee, Mariota doesn't appear to have any hard feelings over how the relationship ended.
"One thing led to another…but at the end of the day I'm truly grateful for what happened to me because I'm here because of it. I've gotten this opportunity back with Arthur, back with this team, so I'll never take any of that for granted."
Regardless of your feelings towards Mariota during his time in Tennessee, it's nice to see a friendly face finding success in the league. Mariota's NFL struggles were never due to a lack of effort or ability.
The Titans still made the right move turning over the team to Tannehill, but that doesn't mean Titans fans can't celebrate Mariota's new found confidence.
Image via Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
