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5 Teams that could give Marcus Mariota a chance to start in 2020

By Michael Moraitis

CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 8: Marcus Mariota #8 of the Tennessee Titans warms up prior to the start of the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 8, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 8: Marcus Mariota #8 of the Tennessee Titans warms up prior to the start of the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 8, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 18: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and head coach Bruce Arians of the Arizona Cardinals shake hands following the 40-7 NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on September 18, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 18: Quarterback Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and head coach Bruce Arians of the Arizona Cardinals shake hands following the 40-7 NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on September 18, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This would be one of the better situations Marcus Mariota could find himself in.

Not only do the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a slew of weapons on offense to throw to, including wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, but head coach Bruce Arians loves himself a good pass-heavy attack that can make quarterbacks look really good.

Of course, there lies one issue: what are the Bucs going to do with incumbent quarterback Jameis Winston, who is on the fifth year of his rookie deal and still hasn’t totally lived up to expectations?

This situation could play out in three ways:

1. The Bucs let Winston walk after this season.
2. The Bucs extend Winston with a long-term deal after this season.
3. The Bucs use the franchise tag on Winston or give him a short-term deal.

If Tampa goes with option No. 1, they’ll immediately be in the market for a starting quarterback and may not have a good enough first-round pick to grab a franchise signal-caller.

If it’s No. 3, chances are they’ll want a good insurance policy at quarterback, and what better insurance policy than a veteran like Mariota, who was taken one pick after Winston in the 2015 NFL Draft?

Should Winston stick around via option No. 3, it’s because the Bucs aren’t sold on him yet, and that means he’s vulnerable, which is the perfect situation for a guy like Mariota to swoop in and take the job.

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