The Atlanta Falcons benched Marcus Mariota last week. One day later, he ended his tenure with the team.
The Falcons informed Mariota on Dec. 8 that they would be making the switch to rookie Desmond Ridder. The next day, the team was informed via a text from Mariota's representation that the quarterback would soon undergo a procedure for a chronic knee injury, even though he never appeared on the injury report this season with a knee injury and didn't miss a snap due to one.
Though reports have indicated Mariota has gone AWOL on the Falcons, that's not necessarily the case. He's been in touch with the team -- players across the league who are on injured reserve aren't always at the team facilities. He also had a newborn shortly before he was benched, so he's been with his family. Mariota plans to have the knee procedure this week, and it's one that normally would sideline a player for only four to six weeks.
A source says Mariota took the benching very hard, which isn't uncommon in the sport. He didn't understand why he was being benched, though the bye week was a natural time for the Falcons to make the switch from their struggling quarterback.
In his previous five games, Mariota had just five touchdowns to three interceptions and was averaging a paltry 157 passing yards per game. The Falcons were 1-4 in that time, with three of those losses coming by six or fewer points. Only once in that five-game span did the Falcons muster more than 17 points in a game.
Mariota's passer rating of 81.6 was the fourth lowest among qualified quarterbacks during the time span.
The Falcons had been prepared for life after Matt Ryan this offseason. When they dealt Ryan to the Colts, they already had the plan in place to bring on Mariota, who had been with Falcons head coach Arthur Smith in Tennessee when Smith coached there. Mariota signed a two-year, $18.75 million contract in the spring. But the deal was significantly backloaded and only paid Mariota $6.75 million in 2022.
Mariota's play dictated the Falcons wouldn't have him play under the second year of his deal anyway. But he opted to have the procedure done in season when his team is one game out of the lead for the NFC South. He left the team scrambling to sign a backup quarterback, even though a package of plays could have been installed for him. The Falcons will be able to cut Mariota this offseason and face a small dead cap hit of $2.5 million.
Ridder, the third-round pick in 2022 and second quarterback taken in the draft, will get his first start Sunday against the Saints. The Falcons love his maturity and ability to lead the team, and they felt they had to know what they had in him going into the offseason once Mariota's play forced the benching.
