What’s the next best thing to the NFL season? It’s the NFL offseason.

There’s shock, uncertainty, anticipation, excitement, disappointment and drama with nearly every power-shifting transaction, which became official when the new league year started Wednesday.

One day it’s Aaron Rodgers deciding to stay a Packer, an hour later it’s a franchise-altering trade of Russell Wilson. Then Tom Brady un-retires, stealing the shine of Selection Show Sunday. Then, a week after a grand jury decides it won’t indict him, Deshaun Watson is traded to the Browns and gets $230 million guaranteed in another move that will tip the scales of power in the NFL.

“This has to be the craziest start to a league year that I’ve ever seen,” one player told the New York Daily News following yet another wow moment — Davante Adams getting traded to Las Vegas and becoming the highest-paid receiver.

This is true March madness.

But behind each domino falling is not always an elite star or a franchise quarterback, but a person who’s fighting for an opportunity or simply trying to just prove his worth.

That’s where the two Hawaii quarterbacks come into play.

Because eventually the dominoes will tumble toward free agent Marcus Mariota and even QB Tua Tagovailoa, who’s only entering his third season with Miami.

In Tagovailoa’s case the domino is already leaning heavily on the Dolphins’ presumed starter.

Following a year-long flirtation with Watson last season, the second-year Tagovailoa started 12 games (he was 7-5 as a starter), but the franchise always seems to be looking for his replacement. A week ago, the Dolphins reached agreement with free agent QB Teddy Bridgewater, who had the NFL’s 12th-highest passer rating (94.9) while with the Broncos in 2021.

So was this signing to back up Tagovailoa, challenge him or unseat him while Miami looks for a long-term answer at QB?

While speaking at the NFL Combine, new coach Mike McDaniel said this on miamidolphins.com:

“When you’re looking for a No. 2 quarterback, there’s two things: You want him to benefit the starting quarterback while the starting quarterback is the starting quarterback,” said McDaniel.

Wait, what? … Benefit the starting quarterback while the starting quarterback is still the starting quarterback?

Doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement to me.

Greg Cosell, 42-year veteran of NFL Films, was less diplomatic in his criticism of Tagovailoa.

“We know that they don’t believe Tua’s the quarterback and the tape tells you that,” he said during a “Colin Cowherd Show” in November. “Tua is a beat slow in his elimination (of what’s not open) and isolation (what is). He’s not a high-level anticipator. He does not have a lot of arm strength. He’s a struggling quarterback that two different coordinators — last year and this year — they’ve seen what he is and they try to work around it, but you can only work around it so much.”

And things only look worse with every TD laser Justin Herbert throws. That’s because Tagovailoa was selected one pick ahead of Herbert in the 2020 NFL Draft, an uncomfortable juxtaposition for the smaller (6-foot-1 vs. 6-foot-6) and less dynamic (Herbert’s arm strength is unique) Tagovailoa. While Herbert won rookie of the year and is labeled a franchise quarterback, Tagovailoa has suffered multiple injuries (rib and hand), and whether he’s Miami’s QB of the future is debatable.

As for Mariota, he was at one time considered the franchise QB for the Titans but is now looking for a team after his two-year contract ran out with Las Vegas.

But before any team will come calling, there are more dominoes that need to fall — like where the pompous Baker Mayfield, currently with the Browns, will land.

Right now, the job market is open in Seattle, Carolina and Indianapolis.

Mariota is competing for a job with Mayfield, Jameis Winston and 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who underwent shoulder surgery in early March and won’t be able to throw for 16 weeks, according to nfl.com. Not to mention, there’s a whole group of prospective quarterbacks about to be drafted in April.

A seven-year veteran, Mariota is just looking for another chance.

“I really want my foot in the door and to have an opportunity to be a part of something, whether that is to be a bridge guy,” he said during a one-on-one interview on March 11. “I have had so much experiences that I feel like I can be of value to a young guy who’s maybe getting his first couple starts in the league. I also feel I have value where I’ve played playoff games and been a part of big situations where I could go be a guy and be a starter.”

Extremely close with his family and now married, Mariota said it will be a family decision.

“I just want him to be happy,” said his mother, Alana.

While the national narrative is that Mariota is too injury-prone to be trusted as a starter, Mariota “absolutely” views himself as starter material — he just realizes his situation and won’t demand it.

“For me, I’ve done it. I’ve had points in my career where I played at a high level. And I can do those things. It’s being part of a situation that allows me to have that opportunity, and I believe in myself to go make the most of that.”

As for the injuries — he admits to being physically and mentally beat up as his five-year career wound down in Tennessee — Mariota was injured in his two years with the Raiders. He injured his quad on his first carry of the first game and ended up missing seven games.

“Sometimes,” he said, “it just happens.”

But now he says he is “working with trainers and working with different doctors. So I kind of found a formula for me, especially after the quad injury, where I got a great team around me that will help get to my best health and will allow me to play.”

One former NFL scout wrote in an email that he thinks “a return to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle) might prove beneficial. He certainly is more talented than Drew Lock.”

The Colts might also be a good fit because of their solid offensive line and strong running game.

When asked if he was talking to any teams, Mariota said. “Not specifically, and if I was I probably couldn’t tell you.”

But when the Colts were mentioned, he said: “They play the Titans twice a year.”