Mariota as a Backup?

[AROS]

Saw that he was released by the Falcons. Granted, I don’t know his contract situation but if it’s feasible, would it make sense to bring him in as a backup to Geno? Especially if we don’t draft a big name QB?

 

[SonicHawk]

He really wasn't that bad on a very bad Falcons team.

 

[Mike D in 332]

At league minimum, sure. I think some team will give him more than that. I hope we aren’t that team.

 

[NJlargent]

I would be fine with that so long as we don't overpay. I would rather focus on developing a pass rush and fixing OL over the next couple of years before investing in a QB. If Geno leaves get a serviceable QB for a couple seasons while we fix an OL and DL which is years overdue. But Mariota is fine even as a starter while we fix issues hopefully through this draft and younger players who have shown promise. And he could blossom a bit like geno did this year, he has decent tools.

 

[Lagartixa]

Mariota was a slightly above-league-average QB as a passer and as a rusher last season. So he could be a decent starter somewhere, or a top-tier backup.
I was surprised to see that in terms of passing, Darnold was much better in his limited playing time than Mariota in 2022. But because of that, Darnold is likely to be more expensive than Mariota. And Darnold's rushing was atrocious, hurting his team badly. Only Mayfield was worse, costing his teams a lot more (over 70% more by DYAR) with his legs in 26 rushing attempts as Darnold did in 23. Of course, since Mayfield got about half his reps with the Panthers, and Darnold got all of his there, I wonder if the offensive line might have had something to do with it. Mayfield managed to be just about as bad a rusher (fewer fumbles, but noticeably worse yards per carry too) with the Rams as he was with the Panthers, so maybe not.

I'll be curious to see where Mariota and Darnold end up signing. Both can provide value to NFL teams in 2023.

 

[hawkfan68]

He was a part of the Falcons team that beat the Seahawks at Lumen field last season. Not a bad option for backup or temporary fill in. His character is concerning since he "quit" on his team in the end.

 

[chrispy]

Including Mariota, there is a plethora of mid-tier, or possibly just below, passers available this off-season. It's hard to remember a year when so many QBs with measurable starting experience have been available, and therefore presumably/relatively cheap. It seems to me that Geno doing well and RCW doing poorly has slightly altered the perception of some passers in the eyes of some GMs.

If PC/JS have any consistency in there dna, we should expect a 3-way competition going into the season. Hopefully that includes Geno, but if not, there will still be 2 FAs and a rookie. I'd predict that, if Geno is a Seahawk, the rookie might be a late-round pick or UDFA. If Geno lands elsewhere, there could be a top 20 pick, a relatively experienced FA (this would include a Mariota type) and a more inexperienced FA (I'm thinking a Drew Lock type).

 

[Appyhawk]

Is Lock gone? I must have missed that memo...

 

[DJrmb]

Is Lock gone? I must have missed that memo...

Drew Lock is a free agent, yeah.

 

[sutz]

Drew Lock is a free agent, yeah.

Technically, not til Mar 15th, but yeah he had a one year deal.

 

[onanygivensunday]

A backup QB has be to one of the least pressing issues for Pete and John.

I'll be shocked if they don't sign a QB before the draft. At this point, I don't think that it will be Geno, but truthfully, there's so many rumors this time of year so who really knows... maybe John and Pete, but maybe not even them.

I expect Pete and John to re-sign Lock to a 2-year intermediate contract (similar salary to what Geno got) that indicates that he will be the starter in 2023.

And if they do sign Lock (and not Geno), I believe they will draft a QB using the #5 overall pick... and it should be either Will Levis or Anthony Richardson.

 

[Aircrew]

I think Mariota could become a Geno type reclamation project. He has talent and he's never really stunk it up, just didn't live up to his draft status. I'd say get him back up to the PNW and see how he fits into the Pete/Seattle Program.

 

[bileever]

I was hoping that we would sign Mariota last year after the Wilson trade, but I saw him play in several games last year, and he was very disappointing. He's flashed potential throughout his career, but hasn't really been able to put together consistent production. I'm still intrigued by the talent, but definitely not as high on him at this point.

 

[scutterhawk]

A backup QB has be to one of the least pressing issues for Pete and John.

I'll be shocked if they don't sign a QB before the draft. At this point, I don't think that it will be Geno, but truthfully, there's so many rumors this time of year so who really knows... maybe John and Pete, but maybe not even them.

I expect Pete and John to re-sign Lock to a 2-year intermediate contract (similar salary to what Geno got) that indicates that he will be the starter in 2023.

And if they do sign Lock (and not Geno), I believe they will draft a QB using the #5 overall pick... and it should be either Will Levis or Anthony Richardson.

I'm kind of in the same lane here, only thing that I will add, that so far I've yet to see on this, is that now that the Seahawks have brought Greg Olsen on board, I believe that they are going to want some of his expertise & input on securing the Lead & Backup Quarterbacks.
I don't believe that Geno is the one hit wonder that some of his detractors might think he is, but I do believe that it's a possibility that he's going to be too expensive to get inked, and would hamstring the Seahawks to signing some very much needed FA help.
Regardless to whether or not it's Geno or whoever they decide to go with, I too would like to see them do their due diligence by Drafting a QB of the future, just not sure they're locked in on any QB in this years Draft Class, but I think we're about to find out in the next couple months.

 

[GGotskill]

Mariota was decent early last season, but rapidly played his way out of a job (as he played the Falcons out of the playoffs).

 

[CPHawk]

He was a part of the Falcons team that beat the Seahawks at Lumen field last season. Not a bad option for backup or temporary fill in. His character is concerning since he "quit" on his team in the end.

That was made up. His wife had their first kid the day they claimed that. And then he had surgery.

 

[Hockey Guy]

Is Lock gone? I must have missed that memo...

Yeah, they should re-sign him IMO.

 

[nanomoz]

With, like, $17 mil. in effective cap space right now, it's hard to see them paying for two established, veteran QBs. But I could be wrong. They might restructure some dudes or somethign.

 

[flv2]

Mariota's contract with the Falcons was a fully guaranteed $6.75M for 2022 with a non-guaranteed $12M in 2023. It was basically a 1 year try-out. Obviously Mariota didn't play well enough for the team to pick up the $12M option. This is not to say Mariota played badly. His play was decent, as was that of rookie QB Ridder. Releasing Mariota on cost grounds was widely expected. He's a good option for multiple teams, depending on his 2023 asking price.

 

[FrodosFinger]

Either him, Jacoby Brissett or Teddy Bridgewater