Entering his 11th NFL season and his second with the Washington Commanders, quarterback Marcus Mariota has become for his current team what the team that drafted him hoped he'd be for them, even if it is in a different form.
As a key veteran in the Commanders' locker room , the success that the 12-win 2024 roster achieved can be tied directly to Mariota's influence as a leader and big brother for then-rookie Jayden Daniels.
When on the field for Washington last year, Mariota showed the talent that made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. Through his experience since then, he's been able to impact every game in ways unseen, and sometimes seen as they were during the squad's Week 17 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons late in the regular season.
"It's unbelievable to think that it will be eleven seasons since the [2014] run at Oregon, and I just feel truly grateful to be able to do this, to be able to play a game that I love, to be around people that strive for greatness and just to be a part of that is special, and I don't take that for granted," Mariota said in a recent interview with KOIN 6 Everyday Northwest host and Oregon Ducks On SI reporter Ally Osborne.
"As each and every single day comes I just try to put my best foot forward, never think about what could happen I just try to live in the moment and be present. I think that's taken me a long way and it's something I've had to learn over the last couple seasons and I think it's really helped me out."
It's a mindset that comes with experience, both good and bad. It is easy for some to forget, but Mariota had a solid start to his career, finishing above .500 as a starter in three of his first four seasons after starting 3-9 as a rookie.
Starting 2-4 in the 2019 season, however, the Titans made the move to veteran Ryan Tannehill, effectively ending Mariota's tenure with the team that brought him into the NFL.
From there, he joined the Las Vegas Raiders for two years before spending one each with the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. Then, it was on to Washington in 2024, where he once again found himself as an influential member of a winning organization.
Those experiences, the good and the bad, have helped shape his perspective of things a decade into his career, and the lessons he's learned he carries with him in every walk of life.
"It's helped me be a better father, helped me be a better husband, and brother," Mariota said. "The more that I can be in the moment, providing whatever everybody needs around me, serve, I think eventually we'll get to wherever we want to go but I think the more that I can be in the moment it reminds me just to enjoy life."
That day-to-day, in the moment mentality very closely resembles that of the culture instilled by Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, another reason Mariota has been such a positive fit with the team.
Armed with plenty of talent and an honest mindset of attacking each day individually, leaders like Mariota are part of the reason so many believe this year's Washington squad could be even better than the last.
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