Another NFL QB Hits Free Agency
Josh Frey
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The 2023 QB free agency pool continues to get deeper and deeper at the quarterback position. Just in recent weeks, both Derek Carr and Carson Wentz were released from their respective teams, and now on Tuesday morning, another NFL QB hit free agency after the Atlanta Falcons released Marcus Mariota.
The move freed up about $12 million in cap space for the Atlanta Falcons and adds yet another QB that started the majority of a team’s games to the open market. In 2022, the Falcons went 5-8 with Mariota as the starter, and the 29-year-old QB completed 61.3% of his passes for 2219 yards, 15 TDs, and 9 INTs. He also added 438 rushing yards and 4 rushing TDs.
2022 was the first season that Mariota had started the majority of a team’s games since 2018 when he was still with the Tennessee Titans. In 2019, he started the first six games of the regular season before the newly-acquired Ryan Tannehill took over the reins.
After losing the starting job that year, Mariota left the Titans before the 2020 season, signing with the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s where he spent both the 2020 and 2021 seasons as Derek Carr’s backup before joining the Falcons in 2022 in the aftermath of Atlanta’s trade to send Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts.
So, could Mariota be a target for the Minnesota Vikings in free agency? Personally, I think so. Firstly, Mariota is a player that has been a backup in the NFL in multiple spots, so it shouldn’t be considered “beneath him” to serve as Cousins’ backup in 2023.
In addition, though, his starting experience makes him one of the better options for the Vikings to have if the 35-year-old Cousins were to suffer an injury. To this point, Cousins has had an impeccably clean injury history, but as the cliché goes, Father Time is undefeated.
Eventually, history suggests that Cousins’ performance will take a step back, or he will take that big hit that knocks him out for an extended period of time. If either were to happen, having a player waiting in the wings with 76 career starts, including two playoff starts, is not a bad option to resort to.
Mariota also brings an intriguing skillset that the Vikings haven’t benefited from in the Cousins era: mobility. The 29-year-old QB not only is a willing runner, but an effective one at that. Throughout his career, the former Oregon Duck has accrued 2012 rushing yards and 17 rushing TDs at a clip of 5.8 yards per carry.
Especially with an offensive line anchored by one of the best tackle tandems in the league, Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, as well as willing blocker T.J. Hockenson at tight end, this could open the door to some very fun possibilities schematically.
Finally, Mariota has youth on his side, at least, more-so than Cousins. He won’t turn 30 until October 30th, and at the very least, he has the potential to serve as a bridge QB while the Vikings look for the player that they want to hand the future of their offense to. If the price is right, Minnesota absolutely should take a look at Mariota this offseason.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.