'Marcus Mariota may be on his way out of the NFL': Pat McAfee delivers damning verdict on Eagles QB after preseason disaster vs Browns
Marcus Mariota found a new home this offseason with the Eagles to be the backup to Jalen Hurts. The 29-year-old made his preseason debut, much to the chagrin of fans, including Pat McAfee.
Speaking about Mariota on "The Pat McAfee Show," McAfee questioned if the quarterback is close to the end of his career.
He mentioned quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who's had an impressive preseason with the Browns:
"Has Marcus Mariota just lost the "it"? There's a certain pizzazz. You have to have it. DTR has it, it appears. Now, I'm not saying DTR is going to be the greatest QB. And I know Marcus Mariota did a lot of things for the Tennessee Titans. And went to the Raiders, he had a couple of things in Atlanta. It didn't work out.
"But now he's here with the Eagles, which we thought that system might be a good system for Marcus Mariota because he can still move. Seems like it's pretty quick decision-making."
McAfee concluded:
"And you're a vet, you've seen a lot of defenses, especially in preseason games. You should be able to do your thing. He's missing throws, he's got no pizzazz. Oh, Marcus Mariota might be on his way out of the NFL as a whole."
The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback threw for 86 yards and an interception on nine of 17 passing. Thompson-Robinson had 164 yards on 13 of 25 passing for the Cleveland Browns. Their game ended in an 18-18 tie.
Mariota is looking to fight off rookie Tanner McKee for the Eagles' backup job, as McKee had 147 yards passing and a touchdown in the game versus the Browns.
Marcus Mariota and his NFL career in stats
Mariota was the second overall pick of the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL draft. He started 61 games with the Titans over the course of five seasons, throwing for 13,207 yards, 75 touchdowns, and 44 interceptions. Mariota is fifth in Titans history in passing yards and in the top 10 in touchdowns.
His career took him to the Las Vegas Raiders, where he would spend most of his two seasons as a backup.
Last season, the former University of Oregon star played with the Atlanta Falcons. He had 2,219 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 13 starts with Atlanta.