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BLOOMINGTON, Minn. –** Think you had a busy day?
Well, you should've seen Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota on Super Bowl LII Radio Row here on Friday.
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Mariota put in an eight-hour shift, walking in the door at the Mall of America just before 6.a.m., with the temperature minus-eight degrees at the time. When he walked out the door after 2 p.m., over two-dozen local and national radio and television interviews later, he was tired.
"But it was a lot of fun," Mariota said with a smile. "It was a great opportunity, and I enjoyed being able to share some memories and talk a little ball.
"Now I'm ready to go take a nap, that's for sure."
Mariota's day started way before the sun came up. He did an interview with Titans Online around 5:45 a.m., then walked in the door at the mammoth mall with a light blue jacket, a SPAM pin on his lapel.
A Hawaiian native, Mariota was here on behalf of SPAM, which was a part of his mom's dishes growing up. Mariota talked about SPAM on Friday, but he also talked about a ton of other subjects.
"Everyone asked me about the new coaching staff," Mariota said, referring to new head coach Mike Vrabel, hired last month to replace Mike Mularkey. "I'd say that was the most popular subject. Just talking to everyone, it seems like folks around the country are pretty excited to see what we can do moving forward."
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Mariota's Radio Row day began at 6 a.m. with an interview with WFAN-AM/FM "The Morning Show" in New York with Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti. Then he made his way to the Pro Football Talk set with Mike Florio, before a hit with ESPN Radio's "Golic and Wingo." He chatted with Clay Travis and ESPN's Todd McShay on the set of Outkick the Coverage.
Hour No.1 was in the books, but he was just getting started.
Mariota did hits in Chicago, Philadelphia and Minneapolis in the next hour, appeared on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" and later appeared on the set of ESPN's First Take. He squeezed in a previously unscheduled interview with Jonathan Hutton and Chad Withrow of Midday 180 on Nashville's 104.5-FM, and then joined former NFL quarterback Kordell Stewart on TuneIn Radio.
The real craziness came when Mariota weaved his way through the mall, trying to get from one booth to the next. Mariota stopped for countless pictures, and signed autographs. Mariota signed footballs, shirts, and hats.
"He is gorgeous," said one lady as Mariota walked by.
"Hey, that's the Hawaiian quarterback for the Titans," said another.
"It's great to be able to do this, and interact with the fans," Mariota said. "I love it."
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Of course one Jaguars fan flashed a No.5 jersey of quarterback Blake Bortles. Another fan yelled "Go Cowboys!" as Mariota walked by. Mariota stopped regularly, no matter if they were decked out in Vikings or Packers gear. He posed for a selfie with a fan in his No.8 Titans jersey.
"Did that just happen?," the fan said.
Mariota complimented Hall of Famer Tim Brown on his gold jacket inside the ropes on Radio Row. He passed Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce in the middle of the madness.
"I was able to talk a little bit with Kirk Cousins," Mariota said. "I was really impressed by him, and the way he has handled everything that is going on in Washington. It says a lot about who he is, and what type of guy he is."
And the questions, they kept coming as Mariota's tour continued.
Mariota was asked about his now famous stiff-arm against the Jaguars, and his touchdown pass to himself in a playoff win against the Chiefs.
"That play was crazy," Mariota said. "I don't even know how to explain it. I really was just at the right place at the right time."
Mariota hit the airways in San Francisco, and joined the "Doug Gottlieb Show" on FOX Sports. He did the SIRIUS Blitz, and Mad Dog Sports Radio. He joined the Jim Rome Show, and ESPN Radio's Stephen Smith before hopping back on NFL Network again. Some shows went live, other interviews were recorded to be aired later.
"No one asked me anything too crazy," Mariota said. "Everyone kept it pretty professional. I didn't get any weird, off the wall questions."
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Mariota held up well, and was laughing and joking until the end. He took a picture with former Titans quarterback Chris Simms after his final interview on the Bleacher Report's "Simms & Lefkoe Podcast."
With his girlfriend, Kiyomi, by his side, Mariota headed for the exits. He was signing off for the day.
And there was good news: It already had warmed up to a balmy nine degrees outside.
"I was a good day," Mariota said with a smile. "It was fun, it really was. I just wanted to put forth our team, our organization. I play with an awesome group of guys, and it is just fun being able to share our stories and hopefully make a few more fans along the way."
