Nov 20, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes the ball in the first quarter the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Mariota is clearly the franchise quarterback the Tennessee Titans hoped he’d be, but that means the big bill will come due soon enough.

In the NFL, there are teams paying their quarterbacks big money and there are those who either don’t have one or haven’t yet reached that point. The Tennessee Titans are in the enviable spot of having found their franchise quarterback in Marcus Mariota without having to give him big money just yet.

It’s a situation that allows plenty of roster building around the young signal caller, much like the Seattle Seahawks did early on with Russell Wilson. But, as the Seahawks have learned with Wilson, at some point, that bill comes due. And it’s a big one.

That’s why the Titans have to strike now with Mariota, who is a relative bargain entering his third season. Mariota will be the 26th highest-paid quarterback in the NFL this season. He’ll count just $6.05 million against the team’s salary cap in 2017. He’s most certainly not the 26th-best quarterback—or at least he hasn’t been in his first two seasons.

Before suffering a broken fibula in Week 16 of last season, Mariota had 3,426 yards, 26 touchdowns with just nine interceptions in 15 games. It was a nice step up from his rookie season, when he had 2,818 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 10 games. And by all accounts, he’s healing nicely from the leg injury.

Franchise Quarterback Bill Will Come Due

So the Titans have two more seasons—three counting his option year—before they have to start paying Mariota franchise quarterback money. What’s the going rate?

For Wilson, it was a four-year, $87 million extension that included a $31 million signing bonus. In the case of another young quarterback with numbers comparable to Mariota, Cam Newton, it was a five-year deal worth $103 million with $60 million in guaranteed money. In other words, the Titans had better save some cap space for the not-too-distant future.

This is not to say Mariota is in the same class as Newton or Wilson just yet. They had multiple playoff berths under their belts—and even a Super Bowl—before they got their deals. Mariota hasn’t gotten the Titans into the postseason…yet. But he is certainly trending in the right direction.

The Titans have found their franchise quarterback. They had better get ready to pay him as such in a couple of years. And given the rising costs at the position, Mariota could demand $25 million or more per season in three years.

In the meantime, they can still spend freely in free agency in an effort to build the best team possible. Obviously, winning with a franchise quarterback is always easier. But, as so many teams have found out, paying for that franchise quarterback while also keeping good talent around him is often difficult.