Marcus Mariota's 5th-Year Contract Option to Be Picked Up by Titans

The Tennessee Titans are keeping quarterback Marcus Mariota around for a fifth season.

Tennessee will pick up the fifth-year option on his contract, Titans general manager Jon Robinson confirmed Wednesday on The Midday 180 on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville.

The Titans made Mariota their franchise quarterback when they selected him with the second overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft after he won a Heisman Trophy and led the Oregon Ducks to the College Football Playoff National Championship.

According to Spotrac, Mariota's initial four-year deal was worth more than $24 million and ran through the 2018 campaign with 2019 available as a fifth-year option.

Geoffrey C. Arnold of the Oregonian predicted in February the Titans would have "to shell out a ridiculous amount of cash to keep Mariota" after the San Francisco 49ers signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a five-year, $137 million contract.

"Mariota's body of work far exceeds Garoppolo's," Arnold wrote.

However, Tennessee delayed the decision to give Mariota a head-turning amount of money in a long-term extension by picking up the fifth-year option on his deal, ensuring he will be the leader at least through the 2019 campaign.

He led the Titans to 9-7 records in 2016 and 2017, and the latter resulted in a playoff berth and a win in the Wild Card Round.

Mariota played 12 games as a rookie in 2015 and looked the part of a future star with 2,818 passing yards, 252 rushing yards, 22 total touchdowns (including a receiving one) and 10 interceptions.

He continued his progression in 2016 with 3,426 passing yards, 349 rushing yards, 28 total touchdowns and nine interceptions, although he regressed in 2017 from an individual numbers perspective with a career-worst 13 touchdown passes and career-high 15 interceptions, even though he helped lead the Titans to the playoffs for the first time.

Mariota, who will start the 2019 campaign at only 25 years old, has flashed his potential and proved he can win a playoff game even in what was a down season for him statistically.

He can hurt defenses with his arm and legs and boasts the upside to be a franchise quarterback for years to come in Tennessee.