Tennessee Titans will exercise the fifth-year option on their starting quarterback Marcus Mariota, keeping him under contract through 2019 season. This was confirmed by Titans’ general manager Jon Robinson on Wednesday.
“The plan is over the next couple of days to exercise Marcus Mariota’s fifth-year option,” – Robinson said. “He is an important part of this team, as are a lot of players. We’re excited to have him around here for the next couple of years and hopefully, after the next season we can start to figure something out to keep him around even longer.“
This move will give both Titans and Mariota time to work out a long-term extension. Mariota is set to earn $3.73 million in 2018 and $20.922 million in 2019 under his current deal. The priority for the Titans is signing left tackle Taylor Lewan on a long-term deal, considering the fact that he will become a free agent after 2018 season.
Marcus Mariota was selected second overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by Tennessee Titans and went on to set numerous NFL rookie records in his first season. He had even more productive 2016 season, finishing with 3,426 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. The 2017 season saw Mariota leading the Titans to the playoffs for the first time in nine years and to a first playoff win since 2003. Titans finished their 2017 postseason run in the 35–14 loss to New England Patriots, with Mariota ending the game with 254 passing yards and two touchdowns.
