After an abrupt exit from the team following his benching, it seemed likely that Marcus Mariota’s days with the Atlanta Falcons would be over sooner than later. That’s the case today, as the team elected not to wait until the start of the league year and have released Mariota, allowing him to seek a starting opportunity with another team.
The team announced the move on Tuesday, which will save them about $12 million in cap space with free agency just around the corner. That paves the way for the Falcons to acquire another quarterback, either to supplant Desmond Ridder or compete with him heading into the summer of 2023.