The Tennessee Titans' season is over, as they lost 35-24 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship. Sunday's loss marks more than one end. Quarterback Marcus Mariota's tenure in Nashville also appears to be over.
Mariota, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, entered the season as the Titans' starter, as he did in the previous four seasons. However, he did not end the year in the same position. Ryan Tannehill took over as the starter after Week 6, turning a 2-4 team into one that was one game away from the Super Bowl.
Mariota's early-season benching meant that the Titans were unlikely to bring him back. The former Heisman Trophy winner and their-once presumed franchise quarterback will be an unrestricted free agent in March. The presumption is that Tennessee will look to resign Tannehill, while Mariota goes elsewhere — potentially in-search of a starting gig.
Though it didn't work out how he wanted it to, Mariota is thankful for his time in Tennessee, calling his Titans career “a gift.”
“It was a gift,” Mariota said postgame via Erik Bacharach of the Tennessean. “It's been a true pleasure. The organization took a chance on me, and I felt like I had given them everything I got. Obviously, we are not sure what's going to happen, but I know when it's all said and done, I gave this organization everything I could.”
Mariota played in 63 games for the Titans, starting 61. In doing so, he passed for 76 touchdowns to 44 interceptions, while also tallying 11 rushing touchdowns. He went 29-32 as a starter.
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