The Washington Commanders entered Sunday’s matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at 0-2 and without their starting quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who suffered an elbow injury last week against the Dallas Cowboys.
However, with veteran QB Marcus Mariota stepping in, the Commanders’ offense was firing on all cylinders and pulled off a thrilling 33-31 upset to earn their first win of the season.
Mariota finished 19-for-31 with 183 yards through the air in a wet environment and threw three touchdowns while committing zero turnovers. He also rushed five times for 11 yards.
Mariota Earns Massive Bonus
Following the win, Front Office Sports revealed that Mariota earned a $200,000 bonus.
Anytime Mariota plays more than 60% of the snaps in a game the Commanders win, the organization pays him a $200,000 bonus, up to 12 wins.
Marcus Mariota’s win over the Seahawks just earned him a $200,000 bonus.
Mariota gets $200K each time he plays at least 60% of the snaps in a win, up to 12 wins. pic.twitter.com/SoWsZbGDXa
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 27, 2026
Mariota Speaks on Commanders’ Gritty Win
After the win, Mariota spoke to Fox Sports about the team’s gritty victory and deflected the praise onto his teammates.
“It’s all those guys,” Mariota said. “They did an unbelievable job. It’s hard when you’re 0-2, it’s so easy to kind of cave in this early on in the year, and these guys believed in each other and they came out and played unbelievable today.”
Mariota went on to send a strong message about Commanders head coach Dan Quinn and his impact.
“He’s a special coach. Unbelievable man, and I think, like, the way he continues to just find motivation for us, regardless of where we are, regardless of the circumstance, it’s a lot of credit to him and how he continues to handle himself.”
Commanders’ Marcus Mariota Earns Massive Bonus After Seahawks Upset