NFL analyst reveals details of Marcus Mariota's new deal with Atlanta

The Atlanta Falcons have signed former Oregon Ducks star Marcus Mariota on the same day they traded veteran quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts. Atlanta announced the deal just hours after shipping away their franchise leader in almost every statical quarterback stat. And not that much later, details on Mariota’s contract have emerged.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback stands to make a decent amount over the next two seasons in Atlanta.

“Falcons are giving former Raiders’ QB Marcus Mariota a two-year, $18.75 million contract, per source, wrote Schefter via Twitter.

The Falcons cited Mariota’s prior experience with Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith as one of the reasons they went after him. That familiarity comes from their time with the Tennessee Titans when Smith was the offensive coordinator and Mariota was his starter. However, it wasn’t his success with Mariota that landed him the head coach gig with the Falcons. It was Smith’s job resurrecting Ryan Tannehill’s career in Tennessee, which came at Mariota’s expense. Despite that, the duo remained close and find themselves reunited in Atlanta.

Arthur Blank on Falcons’ trading Matt Ryan

The Atlanta Falcons released a video tribute on their social media after their surprising trade of franchise quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan was drafted by the Falcons with the third overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft from Boston College, and he has led the team ever since. On Monday, Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round draft pick in a move that surprised fans around the league.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank added in a few words about Ryan, along with the tribute video. The video played audio from his draft selection, highlight plays from broadcasts. It even had audio of Ryan himself leading his team in a pregame huddle. As the words “Thank you Matt,” played on the screen, video of Ryan taking the field gave fans one last chance to remember his impact on the franchise as he now joins a Colts team aiming for a strong playoff run.

“Matt Ryan has been the epitome of a franchise quarterback during his time here in Atlanta,” said owner Arthur Blank on the move. “He has represented this organization with great class, professionalism and leadership, both on and off the field, over the past 14 years. It is difficult to overstate what he has meant to me personally, our organization, his teammates and our fans.