The Atlanta Falcons released quarterback Marcus Mariota on Tuesday in a move to both free up more salary cap space and also move on from a player on the roster who had lost his starting position.
Mariota started the first 13 games of the 2022 season for the Falcons before being benched at the bye for rookie Desmond Ridder, who started the final four games of the year.
Mariota then left the team to have a procedure done on his knee and was placed on injured reserve. By cutting Mariota, Atlanta saved $12 million on its cap for 2023 -- the Falcons already have the second-most cap space in the league at a little over $56 million before the move.