The former No. 2 overall pick stays in Washington after spending the 2024 seasons backing up rookie phenom Jayden Daniels. Mariota didn’t make any starts last year but did see the majority of snaps in Week 7 when the Daniels left early with an injury and Week 18 when Washington had their playoff bid secured. Mariota completed 34-of-44 passes for 364 yards and four scores. He also got a few snaps as a short-yardage specialist throughout the year. Mariota’s skill set fits Kliff Kingsbury’s offense well and his mobility makes him a good backup to the hyper-mobile Daniels.

“He’s gonna have some choices this offseason,” Schefter continued. Mariota led a comeback drive to clinch the sixth-seed for the Commanders in Week 18 and looked superb against the terrible Panthers defense in his other relief outing for all-world rookie Jayden Daniels. Mariota would make sense as a Tua Tagovailoa backup in Miami, and the connections to the Raiders are now obvious with Mariota’s former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly hired as their offensive coordinator.

The Commanders decided to rest Jayden Daniels in second half, bringing in Mariota to try and get Washington the sixth seed in the playoffs. Mariota more than answered the call, totaling 217 yards and three touchdowns for the victory. He found Zach Ertz in the third quarter for the Commanders’ first touchdown of the game, rushed for a five-yard score in the fourth, and hit Terry McLaurin for the game winner with just a few seconds left. Mariota only got to play in three games this season, but this performance against the Cowboys cements him as a quality back-up who is capable of putting up a fight should Daniels get hurt in the playoffs.

Mariota entered in the first quarter to replace an injured Jayden Daniels (ribs) and wound up leading the Commanders on three touchdown-scoring drives. His first touchdown pass came in the waning seconds of the first-half when he connected with Zach Ertz on a 12-yard pass in the end zone. He would then find rookie Ben Sinnott on a three-yard score in the third quarter and played a near-flawless game against the hapless Panthers. Daniels’ rib injury did not appear serious, although we’ll learn more about it in the coming days. In the event he can’t play in Week 8, Mariota would draw his first start of the season against the Bears.