Five years ago, as quarterback Marcus Mariota watched the 2015 NFL Draft unfold on TV at the Saint Louis Alumni Clubhouse, there was very little drama about where he would land for his first pro season.

It was between him and Florida State’s Jameis Winston who would go first to Tampa Bay and second to Tennessee in an NFL Draft in which they were the only quarterbacks taken in the first round.

This month, as Mariota awaits his first venture into free agency, it is anybody’s guess where — Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, you name it — he will be taking his next snap.

Mariota officially becomes a free agent at 10 a.m. on March 18, the date when all NFL contracts for 2019, including his final season with the Tennessee Titans, expire. (Teams can begin talking to players’ agents March 16).

With it commences one of the wildest games of quarterback musical chairs. With Tom Brady, Dak Prescott, Philip Rivers and Winston among those potentially on the market, plus the crop of rookies available in the draft, it could take a while for Mariota’s next mailing address to be decided.

When the dust clears, one place where Mariota assuredly won’t end up is back in Nashville, where the Titans can offer his replacement, Ryan Tannehill, a deal to return or continue to chase the hottest free agent of them all, Brady.

For Tennessee and Mariota, there is no upside to renewing their vows after the Titans benched him amid a 2-4 start in October in favor of Tannehill, who took the team to the AFC title game.

Mariota desperately needs a change of scenery and, hopefully, one that puts him in an offense where his talents can be maximized with a coaching staff that has some staying power.

The Raiders’ Jon Gruden, dating back to his “Gruden QB Camp” on ESPN before the draft in 2015, is one unabashed fan of Mariota’s. That makes Vegas a destination worth keeping an eye on among a number of teams in the market for somebody to either push the presumptive starter (think Mitch Trubisky in Chicago, Tyrod Taylor with the Chargers, Jacoby Brissett at Indianapolis or Dwayne Haskins in Washington, as examples) or to serve as an experienced, quality back-up (picture Las Vegas, Philadelphia or San Francisco among others).

With 61 NFL starts, including postseason appearances, Mariota has the requisite experience and, at just 26, is still young in age. Since his last game with any appreciable playing time was Oct. 13, Mariota also should be as healthy as he has been since the start of his rookie season.

Mariota’s price tag figures to be far lower than those of Teddy Bridgewater, Rivers, Winston and Brady. He made $20.9 million in 2019 after the Titans elected to pick up the fifth-year option on his contract.

But now, as an unrestricted free agent, the pay range looks a lot more like it will be $6 million-$10 million, plus some handsome bonus provisions, if he gets on the field and produces.

At Tennessee Mariota got a first-hand view of how this can work when Tannehill made a fresh start pay off in Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors. Shortly, it will be his turn to try. This time, he has a say in where he goes.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.