Falcons sign former Oregon star Marcus Mariota after Matt Ryan trade

The Falcons have signed former Oregon star Marcus Mariota on the same day they traded Matt Ryan to the Colts. After shipping Ryan to Indianapolis, Atlanta announced the deal with Mariota just hours later.

“The Falcons agreed to terms on a two-year contract with Marcus Mariota, the team announced on Monday, bringing in a former No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick and someone with extensive experience as a starter,” wrote the franchise. “Mariota also enters this opportunity with deep knowledge of head coach Arthur Smith’s system. He worked with Smith in Tennessee, when he was Titans quarterback and Smith was a tight ends coach who became offensive coordinator in 2019.”

Moreover, the Falcons mention that Mariota has prior experience with Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith. While Smith helped revive Ryan Tannehill’s career in Tennessee, it was at Mariota’s expense. Still, it’s evident the duo remained close, as Mariota is being linked to his former offensive coordinator.

Since leaving Tennessee when Tannehill became the unquestioned future, Mariota has been the backup to Derek Carr in Oakland. In the meantime, he’s remained on the radar on NFL teams — the intangibles that made him an exciting prospect still there. Now, he could be getting his second chance at starting with the Atlanta Falcons.

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Moreover, the Marcus Mariota news comes on the heels of Matt Ryan, who had spent his entire NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons, being traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round pick, according to Pat McAfee of The Pat McAfee Show. The news came shortly after Jay Glazer of FOX Sports and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that the two teams were working to agree on a deal as soon as Monday.

Joining NFL Now on Monday afternoon, Rapoport spoke about Ryan and the possibility of him making the move to Indianapolis – also pointing out that the Falcons would have to pay the quarterback a large amount of money if he was still on their roster come later Monday afternoon.

“We are going to get some Matt Ryan news today, at least before 4 p.m. – potentially sooner,” Rapoport said. “$7.5 million is due is he’s on the [Falcons] roster after 4 p.m. today, so we are going to learn if Matt Ryan is still going to be the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons or if all of those trade calls that the Falcons have been getting over the last couple of days, are they all going to result in a trade?

“Sources say the Indianapolis Colts have emerged as the most likely landing spot for Matt Ryan. Nothing is done as of this very minute, but the Colts do appear to be the landing spot if something is done.”

Ryan – who was selected third overall by Atlanta in the 2008 NFL Draft – has thrown for 59,735 yards, 367 touchdowns and 170 interceptions over the course of his NFL career. He was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year in 2016.

On3’s Tyler Mansfield contributed to this article.