Atlanta Falcons Name Marcus Mariota Starting Quarterback
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Marcus Mariota will start in the NFL once again. On Thursday, Falcons Quarterback Coach Charles London announced the former Duck will be Atlanta's starting quarterback to kick off the 2022 season.
"Marcus is the starter," said London Via The Athletic. "That's how we're going into this thing."
For Mariota, it may be the last chance he gets to run an NFL offense. Mariota was a phenom at Oregon, becoming the program's first Heisman Winner in 2014 and going second overall in the 2015 NFL Draft to the Tennessee Titans.
After five up-and-down seasons in Tennessee, Mariota served as the primary backup to Derek Carr on the Las Vegas Raiders.
But this offseason, Mariota showed he still had ambitions to be a starter in the league. The Falcons, who traded long-time signal caller Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts, were the ones to make Mariota's wish come true with a two-year, $18.75 million deal.
READ MORE: Marcus Mariota Reveals Why He Chose to Sign With the Atlanta Falcons
But earning the starting job is just the beginning of the uphill battle Mariota will face with the Falcons this year. First and foremost is the competition Mariota has in rookie Desmond Ridder.
Ridder was drafted in the third round of this year's draft by the Falcons, but at the time he's seen as the future of the Falcons' QB room. Ridder is coming off an excellent campaign with Cincinnati, taking the Bearcats to their first ever College Football Playoff.
Despite a few young offensive talents in tight end Kyle Pitts and rookie wide receiver Drake London, the Falcons offense is one of the worst in the league. Mariota will have to lead a Falcons team that had the fourth-least total yards last season. Not to mention Atlanta will be without start wideout Calvin Ridley, who was suspended for at least the 2022 season after betting on games in 2021.
At one point Mariota represented the peak of Oregon quarterback play. Now, that spotlight is shining brightly on Justin Herbert. Entering just his third year as a pro with the Los Angeles Charges, Herbert already has a Pro-Bowl under his belt and should be one of the best passers in the league for years to come.
While Oregon's poster boy may have changed in the past years, Mariota is ready to show the football world he's still got some gas left in the tank.
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