Bo Nix had hilarious response about facing Commanders' Marcus Mariota

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota has reached the point in his NFL career where every opposing quarterback has a story of watching Mariota when they were kids. Mariota, the 11th-year veteran, makes his sixth start of the season on Sunday against the Denver Broncos in place of the injured Jayden Daniels.

The quarterback Mariota will face on Sunday, Bo Nix, has something in common with him. Mariota and Nix were both first-round picks from the University of Oregon. Mariota was chosen No. 2 overall in the 2015 NFL draft, and Nix went No. 12 in the 2024 NFL draft. Mariota won the Heisman Trophy at Oregon, while Nix started two seasons for the Ducks after transferring from Oregon.

Many of the younger NFL quarterbacks grew up as Mariota fans. Daniels was a big Mariota fan and was photographed wearing a Mariota jersey in his teenage years. Tua Tagovailoa, who played at the same high school as Mariota and always admired him, discussed Mariota's influence on him.

So, surely Nix has a unique Mariota story, too.

"Yes, he’s a great guy," Nix said of Mariota. "When he was at Oregon, I was back in elementary grade school, [and] loved watching him play. He was one of the best quarterbacks of his time, of his generation, definitely of mine. Getting to watch... I knew of him, and that’s really about when Oregon was put on the map for a lot of us back on the other side of the country. I knew Oregon football was big and knew it was a great destination because of guys like that, because of Marcus. But when I got there, he was out there for a few weeks at a time, training in the off-season. I got to talk with him and just catch up. He’s a great guy, always asking about life, how it’s going, and all that kind of stuff. Just very humble for all that he’s done. He’s very humble and just a great player. One that a lot of us have admired watching over the course of time. We talk about this week when we get to play them, guys like [QB] Sam [Ehlinger] and ‘Stiddy’ [QB Jarrett Stidham] out there running the zone read, and they don’t quite do it justice [for] a guy like that, but it would be fun to compete against him on Sunday."

Was Nix calling Mariota old? We're joking. Clearly, Nix has immense respect for Mariota. It is worth noting that Nix is 25 and Mariota is 32. Mariota played at Oregon from 2011-14, which would've made Nix around 11 when Mariota enrolled. Mariota redshirted in 2011 and then started for the next three seasons.

Mariota has played well this season, but Washington sits at 3-8. For the Commanders to pull off the upset against a stout Broncos' defense, Mariota will need to have a big game, while Washington's struggling defense must force Nix into a turnover or two.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Did Bo Nix call Marcus Mariota old?