Marcus Mariota enters the final year of his rookie contract ready to put his future all on the line.
"Let it ride," Mariota said Tuesday, via the Associated Press. "I mean no matter what still I get to come out here. I get to play a game that I love and I'm going to make the most of it."
Questions about the quarterback's future have swirled all offseason as he begins the fifth year of his rookie deal. The 25-year-old has yet to play a full 16-game slate in his first four seasons. Mariota reiterated his stance from March, that he's focused more on his health this offseason than a new contract.
"Obviously, health-wise there's things that toward the end of the year I wish had happened differently, but it's just kind of the nature of the beast, the game that we play," he said. "I think as we go through this, we'll find ways to stay healthier. But I don't change my approach."
Mariota will make $20.9 million on the fifth-year option. The Titans could make him play out this season with the franchise tag as an option the next two seasons to keep him under contract if so desired. First, Mariota must prove he can stay healthy and develop into the franchise signal-caller he's shown flashes of becoming early in his career.
This offseason, Tennessee traded for formerMiami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill and signed him to a one-year deal worth up to $12 million as insurance for Mariota.
Right now, Mariota isn't concerned with questions about his durability.
"Other people's opinions don't matter to me," Mariota said. "I just got to be the best I can be for this team."
If he is the best he can be in 2019, the Titans will gladly hand him a massive new contract.
