Who Should I Start? Marcus Mariota or Gardner Minshew II

Wednesday, March 12, 2:18 PM

Veteran free-agent quarterback Marcus Mariota is signing a one-year deal to return to the Washington Commanders, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans spent last season with Washington and primarily backed up Jayden Daniels. Mariota threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns in three games a season ago. While Mariota clearly has no path to the starting job, he will be on the fantasy football radar in deep Superflex or two-QB leagues as a deep bench stash. Should Daniels have to miss any time next season, Mariota would have at least low-end QB2 upside playing with wideouts Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel Sr. along with tight end Zach Ertz in Kliff Kingsbury's offense.

Thursday, March 13, 6:52 PM

Free agent quarterback Gardner Minshew reached a two-year agreement with the Kansas City Chiefs. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the news. The amount of the deal has yet to be disclosed. Just one season after the Las Vegas Raiders inked Minshew to a two-year $25 million contract, he'll join his fifth squad after being selected by Jacksonville in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. With the release of former Chief Carson Wentz, the 28-year-old will slot in as the backup to new teammate Patrick Mahomes. The Washington State product never panned out consistently as a starter. Still, he's one of the better second-string options in the league and provides a skillset similar to Mahomes with his mobility. Kansas City has yet to make a groundbreaking acquisition in 2025, but they've picked up some essential depth pieces nonetheless.