Washington Commanders Quarterback Marcus Mariota Making History Without Taking a Snap

Marcus Mariota is making NFL and Washington Commanders history this year, and the motivation behind it is very interesting.

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota stretches ahead of OTA practice. / Photo By: Emilee Fails/Washington Commanders

If any Washington Commanders fan is being honest they hope Marcus Mariota never takes a snap for the team despite the fact he's the most experienced and battle-tested quarterback in the room.

That's because the Commanders spent the No. 2 overall pick on quarterback Jayden Daniels in this April's NFL Draft, and the hope is he'll not only play, but play well enough to bring the franchise back from the depths of the league's bottom-dwellers.

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But Mariota is going to make history regardless of whether he ever steps foot on a regular season playing surface for Washington or not, because he'll be the first quarterback in NFL history to wear jersey No. 0.

It's not history he was searching for when selecting the number, however. Mariota is wearing it for a reason much more about the present, and where he's come from as a player.

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota stretches ahead of OTA practice. / Photo By: Emilee Fails/Washington Commanders

"Zero is something for me that's just a reminder," Mariota told Commanders senior writer Zach Selby. "I'm in year 10. People don't think I can do it anymore. It's just kind of a reminder every day of 'nobody really gives you a chance.' And it's cool to be able to remind yourself."

In the nine years Mariota has already spent in the NFL he's gone from No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft by the Tennessee Titans to earning the 'bust' title, getting a second chance to lead a franchise with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022, to veteran backup and mentor to a new young quarterback who holds the future of a franchise in his throwing arm.

Mariota has learned a lot over those seasons. A lot about himself, humility, and what it really means to be an NFL quarterback when it's not just about the love of the game anymore.

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Those are lessons he's hoping to pass on to Daniels as his career gets underway, but that doesn't mean Mariota is just reserved to his role. There's still plenty of fire left in him, he says.

"The passion's still there," Mariota said following practice on Wednesday. "There's moments when it wasn't there, whether it was situations that I had previously in my career that kind of knock you down but being around this staff, being around someone like (coach) Brian (Johnson), again, you find the love. And I've kind of had this rollercoaster of emotions (throughout) my career of my love with the game and my love of football. And when you come to work and you got such a great energy and a great group of guys, it kind of just ignites that again. And like I said, I wouldn't pass this opportunity up for anything and I've been really enjoying it."

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