Marcus Mariota, Titans Agree to Contract: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The Tennessee Titans and Marcus Mariota finally came to terms on a contract Tuesday, the team announced:

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The #Titans have signed quarterback Marcus Mariota. MORE: http://t.co/KAUuxC6snv pic.twitter.com/T1fkNzYb87

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) July 21, 2015"

Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports reported the four-year deal, based on slotting, is worth a fully guaranteed $24.2 million with a $15.9 million signing bonus.

Mariota weighed in after signing his first NFL contract, per the team's release:

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Thank you to the Tennessee Titans organization as well as my agent for making a dream come true. I am very grateful and honored to have this opportunity. I look forward to the future with my teammates, and I’m truly excited to be part of this team.

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Titans general manager Ruston Webster also spoke about getting the contract in place:

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We are glad to have the deal with Marcus done, and I’d like to thank both Marcus and his representatives for their diligence in working with us to finalize this contract. We were confident that Marcus would be under contract before training camp, and we look forward to him starting his career on time with his teammates when we open camp next week. This is an exciting time for the Tennessee Titans organization, and we look forward to a bright future.”

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A signing that should have happened quickly without any fanfare is instead a major story because the sides decided to engage in a standoff over offset language. Even as training camp began to approach, nobody was willing to budge, creating some unsettling drama in Tennessee.

Albert Breer of NFL.com reported the sides were able to reach a compromise with a deal that includes partial offsets.

Titans interim CEO and President Steve Underwood explained to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com why the franchise continued to stand tall on the issue.

"We've always had offset language in our player contracts. It's nothing new," Underwood said. "I think it is important where a high first-round draft pick is concerned, because it's the precedent. Everything that we do is precedential for the next round of contracts."

Offset language allows a team to recapture guaranteed money if it releases a player under contract. Without it, the player can continue to collect that paycheck along with the one he would receive from a new team.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

It's a common clause, but as Conor Orr of NFL.com pointed out, franchise quarterbacks tend to operate under a different set of rules. He noted that Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Blake Bortles all signed deals without offset language.

Ultimately, both sides made a questionable decision to let an issue with such a minuscule chance of coming into play prevent a deal from getting done.

Ed Werder of ESPN reported Mariota is expected to start this season, so it was even more important that this deal get done to maximize his prep time. 

Making sure Mariota had every opportunity to get fully prepared for his rookie season should have always taken priority over setting a precedent. The Heisman Trophy winner faces a learning curve as he transitions from a fast-paced Oregon attack to an NFL offense.

Now that the contract is in place, the sides can finally move past the situation, which could have become a massive mess if it lasted much longer.