Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota doesn’t fit in docu-series

Arguably the strangest news of the Atlanta Falcons off-season so far is the news that Marcus Mariota will be featured in a new Netflix docu-series releasing this summer. Mariota spent the season wearing a mic during games and documenting what was a rough season.

Mariota is the odd man out in this series with Super Bowl champion and two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes as the obvious headliner followed by Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins may face a lot of criticism but there is no denying the quarterback is a clear starter in this league and in the 9-15 range or quarterback rankings every season.

The gap between Mahomes and Cousins is huge but there is an argument there is an even larger one between Mariota and Cousins.  The inclusion of the Atlanta Falcons quarterback is odd when you consider his time with the Titans and the season he spent in Atlanta as the starter.

For Atlanta fans perhaps the docu-series will give an inside look at Arthur Smith’s offense and what happened at the end of the season when Mariota left the team.  From a narrative standpoint, it is certainly a complete series with Mahomes winning the Super Bowl, Cousins flaming out in the playoffs, and Mariota getting benched during the regular season.

What makes the inclusion even more interesting is the fact that Mariota is very likely to be cut by the time this series is released and his future in the league could be in question.

Mariota finished the 2022 season 5-8 for the Falcons and clearly wasn’t going to be the answer for Atlanta early on. Perhaps the series will provide more context for why the team stuck with the veteran quarterback so long with rookie Desmond Ridder spending most of the season on the bench.