A few sportsbooks this offseason had odds on which quarterback would start Week 1 for Atlanta against New Orleans, and veteran free-agent addition Marcus Mariota was generally a -500 favorite over rookie third-round pick Desmond Ridder (+300). That prop is going to cash for Mariota on Sept. 11 barring an injury, as Coach Arthur Smith has already named the former No. 2 overall pick his starting QB. However, SportsLine oddsmakers still expect Ridder to ge t at least a handful of starts in 2022.
Of course, the Falcons traded franchise icon and former NFL MVP Matt Ryan to the Colts this offseason for draft picks. Mariota, the former Heisman Trophy winner at Oregon and No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, was signed to a two-year deal worth up to $19 million. After playing five years for the Titans, Mariota spent two seasons as a backup to Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. Smith has experience working with Mariota in Tennessee.
It's no shock that Mariota, who is 29-32 as a starter, signed with Atlanta given the Smith connection, and that the only other quarterback on the Falcons' roster was Feleipe Franks prior to the draft. Mariota being named the starter this early makes sense, as third-round rookies simply don't get Week 1 starts in the NFL.
“Obviously, we've got a plan for each of them. Marcus is the starter,” quarterbacks coach Charles London said Wednesday after the Falcons finis hed their first practice of training camp. “That's how we're going into this thing.”