Falcons QB Marcus Mariota: Comeback Player of the Year?
For the first time in 14 years, the Atlanta Falcons have a new face under center.
After trading longtime quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts earlier this offseason, the Falcons signed veteran free agent signal caller Marcus Mariota to fill the void.
Though the team added Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder in the third round of the NFL Draft, Mariota is largely viewed as the heavy favorite to lead the Falcons into battle against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.
As it turns out, being the starter isn't the only thing Mariota's a favorite for. According to NFL Network, Mariota is one of the top candidates to be the league's Comeback Player of the Year.
"I like the idea of him going down (to Atlanta). I know that they loved what Matt Ryan did in his last year in Atlanta with that coaching staff, but at the same time, talking to people down there, they do know with some of the things they wanted to do with the quarterback position - the mobility, the other types of things where Matt Ryan comes up a little short - they couldn't do. They feel like they can do that with Marcus behind center, and they do really like how creative they can be. With those two big-bodied receivers with Kyle Pitts and Drake London, he's going to have some weapons." - NFL Network's James Palmer
While the award usually goes to a player returning from an injury, it's not unheard of for a re-emerging star to be named the recipient. Ironically, Mariota knows about this all too well, as Ryan Tannehill, who replaced him at quarterback mid-season in Tennessee, was named Comeback Player of the Year following the campaign.
In Atlanta, Mariota gets to reunite with coach Arthur Smith, who was Tennessee's offensive coordinator in the fateful 2019 season. While things didn't work out too well last time for Mariota, Palmer is confident in Smith and the rest of Atlanta's coaching staff to maximize the former Heisman Trophy winner's talent.
"I actually think that coaching staff did a great job last year," Palmer said. "They should not have won as many games as they did with the roster they had. That is a good coaching staff that Arthur Smith has down there."
Mariota has two hurdles, among others, to clear before he can truly be in contention for the award: team success and the presence of Ridder. In a sense, they work hand-in-hand; if the Falcons are struggling, Ridder will likely get a chance to show whether or not he can be Atlanta's long-term solution at the quarterback position.
Conversely, if the Falcons are still in the playoff race towards the end of the season, Mariota will almost certainly retain hold of the position. Considering Atlanta's low preseason expectations, if Mariota keeps the team in contention past the Week 14 bye week, he's more than deserving of being a candidate for the award.
With veterans reporting to training camp July 26, Mariota's second chance at leading a franchise is soon to be underway. Should the circle of life come back around, it would only be fitting if he won Comeback Player of the Year under relatively similar conditions as Tannehill, some three seasons after his career came to a screeching halt.
