Veteran signal-caller and Oregon legend Marcus Mariota secures a lucrative $7 million deal, returning to the Washington Commanders to lead a pivotal season for the franchise.
Oregon has put a few quarterbacks in the league in recent years.
Dante Moore could have been cashing checks in the NFL in 2026, but he decided to return to Eugene despite being projected as a first-round pick.
Former Ducks quarterback Bo Nix led the Denver Broncos to the AFC championship, but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in overtime against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round.
Former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert made it to the wild-card round with the Los Angeles Chargers before being absolutely wrecked by the New England Patriots defense.
Former Ducks signal-caller Marcus Mariota appeared in 11 games and started eight for the Washington Commanders last season amid Jayden Daniels' injuries. He threw for 1,695 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Mariota decided to sign with the Commanders on a one-year deal worth $7 million.
"The Commanders are re-signing backup QB Marcus Mariota on a one-year, $7million deal, per sources," Pelissero posted on X. "He can make up to $11M with incentives."
Last season, Mariota wasn't afraid to criticize the Commanders during their losing season. Washington head coach Dan Quinn said he respected the veteran quarterback's insights.
"There's not a player that I respect more than Marcus, so his insights are usually spot on, and you'd have to ask him, but we're not hitting the mark," Quinn said, via USA Today.
"It's fair to say that we're not hitting, doing the things we need to do to be who we want to be."
Mariota's leadership will be on display for the upcoming season, a critical year for both head coach Quinn and general manager Adam Peters, likely on the hot seat after missing the playoffs in 2025.
The Tennessee Titans selected Mariota out of Oregon with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. The winner of the 2014 Heisman Trophy played with the Titans through the 2019 season.
Since leaving Tennessee, he's played with the Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles.
Mariota has appeared in 104 games and started 82 games. He's thrown for 17,879 yards, 107 touchdowns and 62 interceptions.