The quarterback position is tough. Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith knows that well, as he has dealt with with (or contributed to) a significant amount of quarterback drama since March. A mere nine months ago, the Falcons had worked out a restructure for Matt Ryan to lower his cap hit. Things then went drastically sideways after being publicly left in the lurch by soon-to-be-suspended quarterback Deshaun Watson.
With no quarterbacks in place, Smith signed Marcus Mariota, a quarterback he previously benched when with the Tennessee Titans. He went into the year as the unquestioned starter and made 13 starts, but the arrangement always felt like a short-term one.