That was fast.
Less than two hours after news broke that the Falcons had agreed to trade quarterback Matt Ryan, the team announced it had agreed to terms with quarterback Marcus Mariota on a two-year contract. Ryan, the franchise quarterback for 14 seasons, was traded to the Colts on Monday.
Mariota, 28, was originally selected by the Titans in the first round (second overall) of the 2015 NFL draft from Oregon. He completed 1,128 of 1,795 attempts (62.8%) for 13,437 yards, 77 touchdowns and 45 interceptions for an 89.5 passer rating in 74 games (61 starts) for the Titans and Raiders. He has also rushed for 1,574 yards on 264 attempts (6.0 avg.) and 13 touchdowns. He has been the backup with the Raiders the past two seasons after his final season with the Titans in 2019.
Falcons coach Arthur Smith was tight ends coach and offensive coordinator with the Titans when Mariota was in Tennessee.
Mariota went 3-9 as a rookie in 2015, 8-7 in 2016, 9-6 in 2017 and 7-6 in 2018. He started 61 of 63 games over five seasons with the Titans, completing 1,110 of 1,765 attempts (62.9%) for 13,207 yards, 76 touchdowns and 44 interceptions for an 89.6 passer rating.
