
Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota courted a bit of controversy for the way he left that team after being benched for then-rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder with just four games to go in the 2022 season.
After Mariota signed with the Falcons to replace Matt Ryan, he wound up being pulled from the starting lineup by head coach Arthur Smith that December. Mariota had previously been benched for Ryan Tannehill while Smith was the offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans.