Arthur Blank: Moving on from the situation, Marcus Mariota is Falcons quarterback

As the Falcons begin to lick their wounds from the pursuit of Deshaun Watson, Atlanta closes the book on the Matt Ryan era and will expectedly begin the season with Marcus Mariota as the team’s signal caller.

Arthur Blank spoke with members of the media Tuesday where he answered questions regarding the organization’s interest in Watson, Matt Ryan’s departure, moving on from both situations and starting the next chapter of Falcons football with Mariota under center.

Arthur Blank,the @AtlantaFalcons owner, says he led the group to pursue DeShaun Watson and explains why the team traded franchise QB Matt Ryan @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/w0QDu61RcU

— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) March 29, 2022

Arthur Blank sees Marcus Mariota as good fit at the moment, indicates (as we would have assumed) that Falcons view Mariota as the 2022 starter.

"We certainly have to look at a backup for him. Maybe Feleipe Franks, maybe somebody we pick up through free agency or the draft."

— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) March 29, 2022

Mariota is seemingly the stopgap quarterback while the Falcons search for their signal caller of the future. His most recent start came in 2020, when he completed 17 of 28 passes (60.7% completion) for 226 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Mariota can still function as a starter in this league, and he’ll get his chance in Atlanta.

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