Eagles QB Marcus Mariota sheds light on why he left Falcons after benching

When Marcus Mariota left the Atlanta Falcons after being benched for rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder following a Week 13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, many believed he quit on the team due to a bruised ego.

However, the 29-year-old former No. 2 pick set the record straight on what really happened in Wednesday night’s premier of the Netflix series “Quarterback,” which included a decision to have surgery for a torn meniscus that had been bothering him all season.

"I don't know why it had to be that narrative," Mariota said. "I gave everything I had for this team. I thought I was making a good decision for everybody. … 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."

The decision to bench Mariota in favor of Ridder was made during the second week of December, which was Atlanta’s bye. Mariota got the news just one day after his daughter Makaia was born.

Atlanta was 5-8 when Mariota was benched, though he wasn’t solely to blame for the team’s underwhelming results. The former Heisman Trophy winner led the Falcons to wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks — both playoff teams last year — as well as an overtime victory over the Carolina Panthers and three-point wins over the Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. 

His two fourth-quarter comebacks and three game-winning drives were his most since the 2018 season when he was with the Tennessee Titans — the last time he started 10 or more games.

Mariota, who’s now with the Philadelphia Eagles, threw for 2,219 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 438 yards and another four scores. His 61.3 completion percentage was his highest since 2018, but his 170.7 passing yards per game was the lowest mark of his career.