Tennessee Titans Roster News: Marcus Mariota Finally Inks Rookie Deal
Tennessee Titans first-round pick Marcus Mariota has finally inked a rookie deal with the team.
Mariota, who played college football for the University of Oregon, has secured a contract with the Tennessee team just more than a week before the athletes report for training camp this season.
The official announcement was posted on their website on Tuesday, with Titans Executive Vice President and General Manager Ruston Webster welcoming the young quarterback to their team.
"We are glad to have the deal with Marcus done, and I'd like to thank both Marcus and his representatives for their diligence in working with us to finalize this contract. We were confident that Marcus would be under contract before training camp, and we look forward to him starting his career on time with his teammates when we open camp next week. This is an exciting time for the Tennessee Titans organization, and we look forward to a bright future," Webster said in the statement.
The 21-year-old rookie, who will join his teammates in practice on Jul 31, expressed his joy and gratitude for being officially part of the team.
"Thank you to the Tennessee Titans organization as well as my agent for making a dream come true. I am very grateful and honored to have this opportunity. I look forward to the future with my teammates, and I'm truly excited to be part of this team," Mariota said.
Mariota's college football achievements
The young athlete has several awards under his name.
Mariota was honored with the 2014 Heisman Trophy, a Maxwell Award and was also proclaimed the Player of the Year by the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
During his last season with the Oregon Ducks, he tallied 4,454 passing yards and 42 passing touchdowns.
Although Mariota was the last unsigned first-round pick from the 2015 draft, as stated by ESPN, he finally made it in the professional league. Titans and Mariota's camp took a long time with the negotiation as they were said to be "at odds over offset language."
NFL.com noted that having an offset language "allows the team to save money when releasing a player." The site explained that if a first-round pick is due "$2 million in his fourth year" and if he is released to a new team that agrees for $2 million deal, the old team is "completely off the hook" as he would collect it from the new team he signs with. However, without an offset language, the released player will then receive the "guaranteed money from his original team" and also the salary he agreed to with the new team.
A source told ESPN's Adam Caplan that both camps agreed to a "partial offset language," which was not divulged, including the financial details of the deal. However, Mariota is set to play with a reported four-year deal and a fifth-year team option that comes with the contract.
Mariota a good fit for the team?
Mariota has just started his journey and now that he is a Titan, he should focus on being in harmony with the Titans' system of offense, noted the site.
A scout told Bleacher Report why he thinks Mariota will be good for the Titans.
"I do think spread offenses are setting quarterbacks back, but this kid is smart, humble and a hard worker. He will get it... Mariota might not be a star, but a quarterback you can win with," said the league scout.
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