The Washington Commanders were without Jayden Daniels for a handful of games last season due to injuries. In his absence, Marcus Mariota came in and played a huge role as the backup quarterback, and they're making sure to re-sign him to the team, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
“The Commanders are re-signing backup QB Marcus Mariota on a one-year, $7million deal, per sources. He can make up to $11M with incentives,” Pelissero wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
This was probably a no-brainer for the Commanders, as Mariota was key last season, where he finished with 1,695 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He could have been even more efficient, but the Commanders' offense was down so many key pieces that it was hard for them to get much going at times.
The hope is that the Commanders don't have to see Mariota on the field as much as they did this past season, because that means that something happened to Daniels. They've made it a priority to focus on the offensive line to start free agency, as they extended Laremy Tunsil, making him the league's first $30 million offensive lineman.
A few days before, they released starting center Tyler Biadasz to save cap space while also hoping to upgrade at the position. The Commanders were interested in Tyler Linderbaum, but he decided to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders to start free agency.
The Commanders still have enough time to address the holes they have, and the draft will be key for filling those holes. If they can get enough depth and stay healthy throughout the season, they can have the type of success they had two seasons ago when they made it to the NFC Championship Game.
As of now, they may be searching around the market to see who could help their team.
