Could Titans trade Marcus Mariota to Chiefs after Patrick Mahomes injury?
Could the Tennessee Titans trade Marcus Mariota to the Kansas City Chiefs after Patrick Mahomes’ injury?
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared to suffer a serious knee injury in the Week 7 game against the Denver Broncos. If the Chiefs are in the market for a quarterback, the Tennessee Titans might be able to help with Marcus Mariota.
The early reports suggest Mahomes has a “patella (kneecap) dislocation”, which could keep the star quarterback sidelined for several weeks, and perhaps for the rest of the season, depending on if there is any ligament damage.
Patrick Mahomes suffered a patella (kneecap) dislocation. I’m told there was no break. MRI will reveal if there is any ligament damage.
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) October 18, 2019
It’s obviously a devastating blow for KC, whether it’s a shorter timetable or the longer one, and now backup quarterback Matt Moore will be tasked with taking his place.
If Moore doesn’t pan out for the Chiefs, it’s likely the team looks elsewhere for help instead of sitting around and hoping for the best. After all, the Chiefs had Super Bowl expectations coming into the season.
The Titans happen to have an extra quarterback sitting around. Mariota was benched in Week 6 and Ryan Tannehill was named the starter in Week 7. It’s doubtful the Titans go back to Mariota barring a meltdown by Tannehill or an injury, even though head coach Mike Vrabel left the door open for such a move.
Of course, Mariota wasn’t exactly having great success in 2019, but a change of scenery to a much more prolific offense and system could do wonders for the Oregon product. Not to mention, Mariota already has playoff experience and a win.
One thing’s for certain: it would be fun to see Mariota playing under Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and his offensive system. And, what would be more interesting is the fact that the Titans play the Chiefs in Week 10 in what could be the ultimate revenge game.
What the Titans could get in return for a recently-benched quarterback remains to be seen, but any return for a quarterback who could be on his way out of town after the season would be a good one.
The NFL trade deadline is on October 29th, at 4 p.m. EDT.
Trading Mariota also means the Titans really have no backup plan if Tannehill bombs, however if that scenario plays out, the Titans are likely screwed anyway.
Regardless, the Titans would be wise to at least explore a deal with the Chiefs for Mariota because trading him would be better than just letting him sit on the bench the rest of the season, and then letting him walk in 2020 for nothing.