Eagles QB Marcus Mariota explains why he left the Falcons after getting benched

The new Netflix series Quarterback features a trio of NFL signal-callers. And while Patrick Mahomes and, to a lesser extent, Kirk Cousins may steal most of the headlines, it’s the other QB who should be of special interest to Eagles fans — and not just because he’s a guy the city once pined for in college.

Former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota, who signed a one-year deal with the Birds this offseason, spent 2022 with the Falcons and was one of three quarterbacks who had their seasons chronicled by the streaming giant.

Now 29, Mariota did not arrive in Philly the way many fans once hoped. He’ll serve as a veteran backup to MVP finalist Jalen Hurts after a late-season benching in Atlanta last season that left some questioning whether he had quit on the Falcons.

The Netflix series gave the former Titans and Raiders quarterback a chance to set the record straight on his decision to step away from the Falcons following his benching.

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For much of the first half of the series, the backdrop to Mariota’s story line was his wife Kiyomi’s pregnancy. And during the Falcons’ bye week, right around the time Atlanta coach Arthur Smith was contemplating making a quarterback change during a particularly rough stretch of the season, the couple welcomed their first child.

“So I go in the next day, Thursday, and Art wants to talk about the future,” Mariota said of his first day back to work after his daughter’s birth. It was that day that the Falcons informed Mariota that they would be “going in a different direction” and starting rookie Desmond Ridder at quarterback.

The following Monday, Smith informed the media that Ridder would be taking over. He also told them that Mariota was not in the building and had not been with the team since Friday, which sparked national headlines suggesting that Mariota had quit on the team after he was benched. According to Mariota, however, he left to have a chronic knee injury examined and — since he wasn’t starting — ultimately opted for season-ending surgery.

“Ultimately — it’s a long story, really,” Mariota tells the interviewer. “So, during the bye week, my daughter was born, Makaia. When she was born, Art brought me in the following day and was, like, talking about the future and kind of what he wanted to do, and they told me that they were going to play Des for the last four games. Initially he said something like, ‘At this point in time of the year, you know, the playoffs are a long shot, and we just kind of want to see what Des can do.’”

Smith, however, said he was surprised by Mariota’s decision to get the surgery, as that was not something that had previously been discussed, according to the Atlanta coach.

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“When he and I had that conversation, that’s not what we talked about,” Smith said. “Those are private conversations, but it was more about where we were as a team, and as a player, and what the future might hold.”

The series features several clips, both audio and video, of commentators questioning why he had the surgery instead of “being ready to go in case Ridder goes down.” But Mariota insists he was doing what he thought was in the best interests of everyone involved.

“I don’t know why it had to be that narrative,” Mariota adds. “I gave everything I had to this team. I thought I was making a good decision for everybody.”

In another scene, Mariota explains the injury: “Your meniscus kind of goes around your knee, and mine basically had torn. It was like, flapped out. Ultimately, we decided that getting my knee fixed was in the best interest. I came home, got my knee fixed, and [have] been in Vegas.”

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Despite the decision to get season-ending surgery, Smith doesn’t seem to have any hard feelings toward his now-former quarterback.

“I love Marcus,” Smith said. [I’m] thankful that I got to spend more time with him. People look at [football players], and they think they’re robots. They wear a helmet, that they’re these modern-day gladiators, but there’s life outside this building. He gave us everything he had.”

Now with the Eagles, Mariota remains a backup. But according to the QB and his wife, that late-season time he got to spend with his newborn daughter was priceless.