The Tennessee Titans have finally reached a deal with their first round pick Marcus Mariota. The highly sought-after quarterback, who went second overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, has agreed to a four-year deal worth $24.2 million with a $15.9 million signing bonus. This makes him the second highest-paid rookie, just behind Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston.
Of all the players drafted in the first round this year, Mariota was the last rookie to sign with his team. What was the reason for the hold up? Well, the two parties couldn’t seem to agree on a certain aspect of the contract that determines whether or not Mariota would get paid in the event that he gets released before his contract is up. The Titans were adamant that offset language be included in the contract, meaning if they were to ever let Mariota go while he was still under contract, they wouldn’t have to pay him the rest of the guaranteed money. Without these terms, Mariota could potentially get paid by two different teams at the same time. For obvious reasons, Mariota and his agent did not want to sign off on a contract with offset language. But after months of negotiating back and forth, the two parties finally agreed on partial offset language. Under these terms, the Titans will still have to pay Mariota if they release him early, but it would be less than the guaranteed amount. Luckily, the agreement was reached just in time, with training camp starting up next week. Now that the contract is a done deal, Mariota can focus on getting ready for the upcoming season.
The Titans have a lot of faith in their new quarterback, who they are hoping will become a franchise player. The team has struggled over the past few years, and a big part of that problem has been the lack of a reliable and consistent player at the quarterback position. Will Marcus Mariota be the one that can finally turn this team around?
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