Marcus Mariota lost his starting job to Ryan Tannehill during the 2019 season, and it would be natural for the former No. 2 overall pick to feel bitter about that even though the decision was clearly the right one for the Tennessee Titans. Mariota could not have handled it much better, however, and we now have video proof of that.
A clip that aired during Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” on Tuesday showed Mariota consoling Tannehill on the sideline during Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Nothing but respect between @ryantannehill1 and Marcus Mariota at the end of the @Titans season. #InsideTheNFL TONIGHT 9PM ET/PT on @showtime. pic.twitter.com/hglc0RvG4S
— Inside the NFL (@insidetheNFL) January 21, 2020
“It’s the start of something great, brother,” Mariota told Tannehill. “I’m so excited for you. … You deserve it, man. You’re gonna be playing in a lot of these.”
Mariota is set to become a free agent, and he has almost certainly played his last snap with the Titans. It could not have been easy for him to watch the team completely turn things around after he was benched for Tannehill, and the fact that Mariota was able to put that aside shows what a great teammate he is.
The maturity displayed by Mariota could go a long way toward helping him find another job. We know based on his recent comments that he is confident in what the future holds.
