The Sports Xchange

The Tennessee Titans open training camp July 30 but still don’t have first-round quarterback Marcus Mariota signed to his rookie contract.

Mariota, the second overall pick, is the only unsigned first-round pick from the 2015 NFL Draft, but there doesn’t appear to be panic on either side.

Mariota recent told FOX Sports he is “not worried about it at all.”

“Obviously, it’s a business deal,” said Mariota, who was in Berea, Ohio, last month as part of the NFL’s mandatory Rookie Symposium for all incoming draft choices. “It’s going to take some time. That’s why you hire your agent.

The delay in finalizing the Mariota deal could be a disagreement over what is known as offset language of fully guaranteed payments to be made from 2015 through 2018.

Mariota’s contract is projected in the $21 million range over four years. If the Titans were to release Mariota before the fourth year and he joined a new team, the offset clauses would come into play. The Titans want to have the ability to get credit for any money Mariota owns elsewhere, according to reports. If there are no offsets in the contract, Mariota could “double dip” and collect money from both the Titans and his new team.

“I personally don’t see there being a major issue,” Titans general manager Ruston Webster recently told Nashville radio station 104.5 The Zone. “I don’t concern myself too much with it if a guy misses a few days.

“We’ve had good talks. We’re motivated. Marcus is motivated. So I would expect that we would be able to get something done. We have plenty of time right now, so we’ll just see where it all goes.”

Mariota still has plenty to learn, but head coach Ken Whisenhunt likes he has seen from the rookie during OTAs and minicamp.

“I think he progressed every day. It’s a credit to him and the way he works. Coach (Mark) Helfrich at Oregon really did a nice job in preparing him,” Whisenhunt said during minicamp. “A lot of it goes to Marcus and his family. He’s really well grounded. So I thought he did a great job from where he started. I think he’s more comfortable and when he’s comfortable, he plays a little faster. The protection part of it was a big challenge. We’re not there, but we’ve made a lot of progress with that. … He’s probably further along at this point that I thought he would be.”

The Titans are basically starting over after a 2-14 season, and really won’t know until preseason games begin exactly how many of their problems have been solved and how many still need addressing.

“It’s gone well,” Mariota said recently. “It’s learning the game and being able to transition your game from college to the NFL. For me, it’s just taking it one day at a time. Learning the system, being able to use my abilities and being the same player I was (at Oregon).”