Marcus Mariota was replaced by rookie Desmond Ridder as the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback with just four games remaining in the 2022 season, and after his benching, there were rumblings that the veteran signal caller had quit on the Falcons.
Mariota elected to undergo surgery for a chronic knee injury after he was replaced by Ridder as the team's starting quarterback, despite never appearing on the injury report. In Netflix's new "Quarterback documentary series, Mariota finally had an opportunity to set the record straight regarding the end of his tenure in Atlanta.
The veteran quarterback had his first child around the same time that he was benched. Mariota was informed that he was being replaced by Ridder the day after his daughter was born.
"So, ultimately, it's a long story, really," Mariota said in the series. "So, during the bye week, my daughter was born, Makaia. When she was born, Art brought me in… the following day. It was, like, talking about the future and kind of what he wanted to do, and they told me that they were going to play Des for the last four games. Initially, he had said, 'At this point and time in the year, the playoffs are a long shot, and we just kind of want to see what Des can do.'"
In a separate segment, head coach Arthur Smith revealed that he and Mariota never talked about the quarterback getting any type of knee procedure done when they discussed Mariota's benching.
"When he and I had that conversation, that's not what we talked about," Smith said. "Those are private conversations, but it was more about where we were as a team, and as a player, and what the future might hold."
Despite having a picture painted around the league that he was quitting on his team, Mariota stated that he was doing what he thought was best for all parties involved.
"I don't know why it had to be that narrative," Mariota added. "I gave everything I had for this team. I thought I was making a good decision for everybody. … Ultimately, we decided that getting my knee fixed was in the best interest. I came home, got my knee fixed and [have] been in Vegas."
As the series unfolded, it doesn't appear that Smith harbors any ill will towards Mariota following his decision to leave the Falcons late in the 2022 season. In fact, it was quite the opposite as Smith spoke highly of Mariota's decision.
"I love Marcus; thankful that I got to spend more time with him," Smith said. "People look at them, and they think they're robots. They wear a helmet, that they're these modern-day gladiators, but there's life outside this building. He gave us everything he had."
Both sides have moved on with Mariota signing a one-year deal to join the Philadelphia Eagles and back up Jalen Hurts. Meanwhile, the Falcons are moving forward with Ridder as their starting quarterback as the 2023 season approaches.
