Marcus Mariota rumors: 5 best fits in NFL free agency
By Jon Dove
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars find themselves in a tough situation. They are tied to an ugly contract with Nick Foles, who was a major disappointment last season. The emergence of Gardner Minshew also creates a bit of a problem.
Minshew showed some promise as a rookie, but the jury is still out on whether or not he’s a franchise quarterback. The fact that the Jaguars gave the starting job back to Foles after his injury is somewhat telling.
Landing Mariota is a complicated process for Jacksonville. The Jags will likely want to find a way to unload Foles’ contract before they bring another quarterback into the fold.
For Mariota, the Jaguars would represent an opportunity to immediately compete for a starting job. His experience and raw talent could give him a leg up in a competition against Minshew. At the very least he’d be in prime position to pounce should Minshew struggle as the starter.
Jacksonville also comes with some intriguing offensive weapons. They have a bell-cow running back in Leonard Fournette and an emerging wide receiver in D.J. Chark. Their offense has some talent, but has been a bit underwhelming.
The Jaguars still have a solid defense and really just need some strong quarterback play to get back into the playoff mix.