The Atlanta Falcons missed out on Deshaun Watson, but that didn't stop them from pulling the trigger on a Matt Ryan trade. The longtime Falcons quarterback is heading to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2022 third-round pick, leaving a hole at quarterback. Atlanta is now turning its attention to veteran Marcus Mariota as a stopgap option, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and ESPN's Dianna Russini.
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith has familiarity with Mariota from their days with the Tennessee Titans. Mariota started his career with the Titans and played five seasons there, with Smith there for all of the quarterback's tenure with the franchise. Mariota spent the last two seasons as Derek Carr's backup with the Las Vegas Raiders, barely seeing the field.
Mariota is a free agent who should come relatively cheap after barely playing the last two seasons. His time in Tennessee was also rather underwhelming after he went second in the 2015 NFL Draft, with Ryan Tannehill ultimately taking over as the franchise quarterback.
Still, Mariota isn't a horrible bridge option for a Falcons team that's rebuilding. In addition to a potential Mariota signing, Atlanta should be looking for a quarterback in the draft. The franchise has the eighth overall pick in 2022 and four picks in the top 75.