Marcus Mariota, draft prospect make sense for Commanders at QB

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports NFL Writer

Ron Rivera didn’t have to fret about finding a franchise quarterback during his nine-year tenure as head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

Cam Newton dropped into Rivera’s lap in his first year as the team’s coach. The Panthers selected Newton No. 1 in the 2011 draft. With him at QB, Carolina won three NFC South division titles, reaching the Super Bowl during Newton’s MVP season in 2015.

"I was very fortunate in Carolina because we found our franchise quarterback right away," Rivera told reporters last week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "We drafted him. He was a big part of what we did, got us to a Super Bowl. He had a terrific career, and unfortunately, he got a little derailed with the injuries his last two years with us.

"When you get that guy, it makes things a lot easier. Not having that guy, it really puts the onus on us." 

Rivera has not been as fortunate as head coach of the Washington Commanders. His teams finished with seven wins each of his first two seasons in the nation’s capital, including a postseason appearance in 2020. However, Rivera started six different quarterbacks in those two years.

That’s why finding a franchise quarterback is Washington’s top priority this offseason. According to reports, the Commanders have contacted all 32 NFL teams, vowing to leave no stone unturned in their search for a top-level signal-caller. 

Rivera said Washington was interested in Matthew Stafford last offseason but did not have the inside track and lost out to the Los Angeles Rams, who gave up two first-round selections, a third-round selection and Jared Goff for Stafford. The Rams went on to win the Super Bowl in Stafford’s first season with coach Sean McVay. 

"Does anybody really care what was traded for Matthew Stafford last year?" Rivera quipped when asked how much draft capital a franchise QB will cost his team. "No, so who knows?" 

Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson appear to be off the table in Green Bay and Seattle. Kyler Murray's contract situation in Arizona is muddled, and Deshaun Watson's legal situation in Houston is complicated. That leaves Jimmy Garoppolo and his injured shoulder as possibly the best option available through trade. 

"[What] we are seeing now in all of these Super Bowls is elite quarterbacks who are leading these teams to championships — or at least playing at an elite level," Washington GM Martin Mayhew told the team’s website. "And we’re looking at that right now and trying to upgrade that position.

"Taylor Heinicke has been outstanding. We have a great appreciation for him. He’s one of the hardest working guys we have. A great teammate and a great leader. … We really appreciate the effort he put in, but we feel the need to upgrade there." 

Washington reportedly made a strong offer for Wilson that was rebuffed by the Seahawks last week. Wilson certainly would provide some much-needed relief from what has ailed Washington’s franchise of late, along with re-energizing a waning fan base.

Rivera said Washington will look at all avenues to acquire a quarterback, including the draft, free agency, trade and those currently on the roster. Heinicke remains under contract for one more season, set to make a little more than $2 million in 2022. 

"We’ve spent a lot of time already on the quarterback class and had an opportunity to watch them," Rivera said when asked about this year’s crop of prospects. "There’s several standout guys — several quality guys that we’re going to spend even more time on. … We’ll continue the interview process. We’ll start to figure out which guys we’re going to do private [workouts] with, which ones we’re going to bring in and which [pro days] we’re going to attend.

"It’s a different type of group because you’ve got everything from pure passers to guys that have pure athleticism. So, you’ve got to really look at that and figure out how it’s going to fit the type of player you have. Ideally, you can find a guy that can do both, and then you are very fortunate."

As part of the evaluation process, Rivera said Washington watched game film with the QBs during the combine interview process to observe their retention, assess what they know and listen to them talk through plays. 

The Commanders select No. 11 overall in April, so they could have their pick of first-round quarterback prospects, including Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, Liberty’s Malik Willis, Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder and North Carolina’s Sam Howell.

What’s more, if Washington swings big and misses on a big-name quarterback, the team could fall back on second-tier prospects such as Mitchell Trubisky and Teddy Bridgewater in free agency. Bridgewater makes some sense because Washington offensive coordinator Scott Turner worked with the Louisville product during his time as offensive coordinator in Minnesota.

However, stylistically, Las Vegas Raiders pending free agent Marcus Mariota might make more sense for the Commanders.

Selected No. 2 overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 draft, Mariota flamed out in Nashville and moved on in free agency, signing a two-year deal with the Raiders in 2020 to fill the second-string quarterback job behind Derek Carr.

Mariota is 29-32 as a starter, and at age 28 can still provide the mobility Rivera liked from Newton during his time in Carolina. In seven NFL seasons, Mariota has completed 63% of his passes, throwing for 13,437 yards with 77 touchdowns and 45 interceptions. He has also rushed for 1,574 yards and 13 scores. He has a career 89.5 passer rating.

Washington reportedly showed interest in trading for Mariota last offseason. Securing a reasonable deal with him in free agency this year would allow Washington to pair him with someone such as Willis in the draft, giving the Commanders time to develop the prospect while attempting to win with a game manager such as Mariota.

The Commanders have about $33 million in cap space, plenty of room to bring in Mariota and retain their important pending free agents, including receiver Adam Humphries, running back J.D McKissic and safety Bobby McCain. Washington could also add a couple free agents to continue to build the team into a playoff contender while making the quarterback position more competitive for the future with a draft choice such as Willis. 

"You don’t necessarily need to have a great quarterback to put yourself in a position to win," Rivera told CBS Sports. "If you can put your team in position, and you have a guy that can manage, handle and control [things] and make plays at times, you give yourself a chance. 

"But the special one makes it a lot easier." 

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @eric_d_williams.