It’s been almost five years since the Tennessee Titans selected Marcus Mariota at No. 2 overall, and fans are still waiting for the super star they thought they were getting.
While Mariota’s numbers have been mostly respectable with so many things working against him, there’s a sense the Titans need to start looking at a fresh start at the position.
The Titans need to make the decision sooner rather than later on whether or not to stick with Mariota.
If the Titans want to start new with a new quarterback in 2020, the Titans need to trade Mariota for some 2020 draft capital.
A second-round pick shouldn’t be out of the question for an asking price, either.
With so many veteran quarterbacks out for the year, the stars couldn’t have aligned more perfectly for Tennessee in this situation.
Depending on how the backups play, the Pittsburgh Steelers or New Orleans Saints could potentially be interested. Mariota could also make a struggling Miami Dolphins more competitive, or could give the Cincinnati Bengals offense a boost.
If the Titans elect to keep Mariota, it’s likely the Titans could only afford to keep one or possibly two players between running back Derrick Henry, offensive tackle Dennis Kelly, Jack Conklin and cornerback Logan Ryan. If the Titans move on from Mariota and select a new rookie quarterback, all four could easily be kept.
Also, if the Titans hold on to Mariota, look for them to spend a lot of draft capital on offensive linemen in the 2020 draft. It’s going to be difficult for the Titans to not show their hand going into 2020.
Here are some possible trades that could benefit both teams involved.
Miami Dolphins
• Dolphins receive Marcus Mariota.
• Titans receive the second of the Miami Dolphins second round picks and Josh Rosen.
Miami sends Rosen instead of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick because of the contract situation. Rosen is under a first-round contract for the next two seasons, and Fitzpatrick will move on after the season. The Dolphins will then use Mariota as a spot starter until their new rookie quarterback is ready to take over the offense.
Pittsburgh Steelers
• Steelers receiver Marcus Mariota and a fifth round pick.
• Titans receive a second and seventh round pick.
This one is more unlikely to happen. There actually isn’t even a chance unless Mason Rudolph plays badly. Another reason the Steelers may be more reluctant to let go of draft capital is because they’ve already spent a first round pick to trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick this season. However, if Rudolph doesn’t perform, Mariota could serve as a bridge quarterback from Ben Roethlisberger to a new rookie in 2021.
Cincinnati Bengals
• Bengals receive Marcus Mariota.
• Titans receive 2020 second round pick.
Just as with the Dolphins, Mariota could make Bengals games more competitive, while not knocking them out of the running for a 2020 quarterback.
If the Titans made this move they would be able to resign all of their key pending free agents, and send a package of picks to a team to move up in the draft and take a quarterback like Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, or Jake Fromm.
Its also worth mentioning that Mariota was not drafted by Jon Robinson or Mike Vrabel. Robinson took a risk hiring Vrabel to a contract that expires at the same time his own does.
With Robinson starting to miss on some early round talent in the draft such as Kevin Dodd, Jonnu Smith and Taywan Taylor, Robinson and Vrabel may choose to find a quarterback who could be labeled “their guy”.
But still, the most likely scenario is that the Titans will play the waiting game to decide if Mariota is worth keeping over other key free agents or if he will take low-end starter money when that time of year rolls around.
The Titans could still make a deal to move up in the draft without Mariota, but it’s important to note the team is already down a fourth-round pick in 2020.
