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Commanders QB Marcus Mariota has a unique reason for wearing No. 0

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When the Washington Commanders signed quarterback Marcus Mariota as a free agent in March, many believed it signaled their intentions to choose LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft.

Whether Mariota’s signing had anything to do with Daniels or not, you can’t deny the similarities between the two coming out of college. Mariota, like Daniels, was a No. 2 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner. Unfortunately for Mariota, he’s now on his fifth team and has served mainly as a backup since the 2019 season.

Mariota started 13 games for the Falcons in 2022 but signed with Philadelphia in 2023 to serve as Jalen Hurts’ backup.

When Mariota signed with Washington, both of the jersey numbers he had worn in his career were already taken. Starting running back Brian Robinson Jr. has No. 8, which was Mariota’s number for every season but 2022. That year, Mariota wore No. 1 with the Falcons, but Jahan Dotson has that number for the Commanders.

That meant a new number for Mariota, and he opted for something that had never been done before. Mariota would be the first quarterback in NFL history to wear No. 0.

He explained his decision to choose that number after Washington’s OTA practice on Wednesday.

“Zero is something for me that’s just a reminder,” Mariota said via Zach Selby of commanders.com. “I’m in Year 10. People don’t think I can do it anymore. It’s just kind of a reminder every day of, ‘Nobody really gives you a chance.’ And it’s cool to be able to remind yourself.”

Mariota could be the perfect mentor for Daniels because he’s been in the rookie’s shoes. Washington clearly received good reports on Mariota from offensive assistant Brian Johnson, the Eagles offensive coordinator last season.

Washington fans do not want to see how much Mariota has left, and that’s not meant to be disrespectful toward him. Commanders fans are all in for Daniels and hope he can finally pull the franchise out of quarterback purgatory.