Jalen Hurts isn’t the only Eagles QB with ties to Tua Tagovailoa, who grew up idolizing Marcus Mariota
Mariota has lent his support to Hurts this season and served as an inspiration to Tagovailoa, whose Dolphins team faces the Eagles on Sunday.
The spotlight on Sunday night, when the Eagles host the Miami Dolphins at Lincoln Financial Field, expectedly will shine on the starting quarterbacks: Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa.
It’ll mark the first time Hurts and Tagovailoa meet in the regular season, with the history between the two players having been thoroughly documented.
» READ MORE: What’s it like to be teammates in the NFL with Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa?
With plenty of attention surrounding the 25-year-old former college teammates at Alabama, Eagles backup quarterback Marcus Mariota offers a unique vantage point of both quarterbacks.
“First and foremost, I’m super, super proud of Tua,” Mariota said Wednesday.
Tagovailoa, in many ways, grew up idolizing Mariota in their native Hawaii. Mariota starred at St. Louis School, paving a path for Tagovailoa to follow his footsteps at the all-boys Catholic school in Honolulu.
Before Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in 2014 with the University of Oregon, he hosted a local football camp that aspired to highlight the next generation of Polynesian players. It didn’t take long for Mariota to notice the camp’s biggest star in Tagovailoa, who later revealed that he had a poster of Mariota hanging in his family’s living room. Since that moment, Mariota embraced Tagovailoa as the two players continue to represent their home state from thousands of miles away.
“I’ve known him since he was so young,” Mariota said. “Just his growth and things he’s had to overcome, the injury in college, kind of starting a little slow in the NFL. Everything he’s been through, for him to keep that smile on his face, to persevere through, and play as well as he is right now. It’s been really cool to watch, but more importantly, it makes me feel really proud.”
This season, Tagovailoa has emerged as one of the league’s top quarterbacks with the Dolphins ranking first in total offense (498.7 yards per game), passing offense (316.8), and points per game (37.2). Tagovailoa also leads the NFL in passing yards (1,876) and touchdowns (14), while his 71.7 completion percentage ranks second behind only Josh Allen (71.7%).
Mariota said his relationship with Tagovailoa has evolved over the past decade. Through the ups and downs of their careers, they’ve been able to lean on each other for advice, an avenue of the relationship that Mariota cherishes due to their similar backgrounds. On Sunday, both players will sport the American Samoa flag on the back of their helmets as part of the NFL’s heritage program, a tribute to their cultural upbringing and native Oahu.
“We still stay in touch,” Mariota said. “It’s a lot more support. Sometimes you just need someone to talk to. To be able to have that support system for Tua and to have that really across all ranks. Because as you go through your career, it’s never going to be easy. So providing that type of resource to a lot of these kids for them to know they can do it, too, they can persevere, they can be just as good as anybody in the world.
“Tua is doing a great job holding that torch for us now. And I’m just proud of the way he’s handled everything. Hopefully our journeys encourage these younger kids to do the same thing.”
Mariota insists he’ll always root for Tagovailoa from afar, but his obvious priority is with the Eagles and Hurts, whom he’s worked with daily over the last several months, serving as a springboard for feedback from practices and games. Mariota, who has starting experience with the Titans, Raiders, and Falcons, signed a one-year deal worth $5 million in free agency, aware that he would work as Hurts’ primary reserve.
Said Mariota: “I come here every day just trying to be able to be there for Jalen.”
» READ MORE: Eagles open as favorites against Dolphins in prime-time matchup during NFL’s Week 7
With the Eagles possessing a 5-1 record and coming off their first loss of the season, Mariota aims to be a steady presence as he attempts to support Hurts with whatever is needed.
“It’s been a great experience,” he said. “I really believe a strong quarterback room is important. Over the course of a 17-game stretch, you’re going to have good times and bad times. I’m always going to be there for him, to communicate and talk about things that I’m seeing.
“I just want to be a source of knowledge, a source of help. But I think he’s done an unbelievable job over the course of these first six games.”
The Eagles host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.