Titans' Marcus Mariota says he didn't have any contact with Browns before draft

All the pre-draft rumors of the Cleveland Browns having legitimate interest in former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota appear to have been just that.

Mariota, who was selected No. 2 overall by the Tennessee Titans, said he didn't even meet with the Browns ahead of the draft.

"There was a lot of scenarios,'' Mariota told Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I never had any contact with the Browns. Um, so, yeah.''

Browns general manager Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine both admitted prior to the draft that they would be open to trading one of their two first-round picks for Mariota. The close relationship between current Browns quarterbacks coach Kevin O'Connell and Mariota also raised some eyebrows.

But Mariota insisted there was nothing more to the situation beyond the Browns checking in on him at the NFL Scouting Combine and his training sessions with O'Connell.

"Nothing other than that,'' he said.

Cleveland has a former Heisman winner of their own in Johnny Manziel, but the second-year quarterback has been relegated to backup duties behind veteran journeyman Josh McCown.

"(Mariota's) probably further along at this point than we thought he'd be, maybe,'' Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said at the team's minicamp. "I think there is good reason to be really excited about him.''