Tag: oregon ducks in the nfl

Atlanta Falcons release former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota

The Atlanta Falcons released former Oregon Ducks superstar quarterback Marcus Mariota, making him a free agent.

The Atlanta Falcons released former Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota on Tuesday, ending his tenure with the squad after just one season.

Mariota signed with Atlanta last offseason, reuniting with former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith at Tennessee, who took the head coaching job with the Falcons.

The 29-year-old was starting for the first time since 2019 after spending a few years as a backup to Derek Carr in Las Vegas. He went 5-8 in 13 games before getting benched for rookie Desmond Ridder and finishing the year on the injured reserve with a knee injury.

All told, Mariota threw for 2,219 yards with 15 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a 61.3 % completion rate.

Mariota will now look to catch on with his fourth NFL team this offseason, and quite frankly a starting job may be hard for the former Oregon star to find.

His best bet may be to secure a backup job with a team that has an oft-injured quarterback, which could afford him the opportunity to step in as needed during the regular season.

Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in 2014 after throwing for 42 touchdowns and just four interceptions while leading the Ducks to a Rose Bowl victory over Florida State.

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How former Oregon Ducks performed in NFL Week 9 games

Justin Herbert was excellent and Jevon Holland recorded his first career interception in another week of action for Oregon Ducks in the NFL.

Week 9 of the NFL season is officially in the books, and a handful of former Oregon Ducks had their best performances of the season – and some even had the best game of their career.

Justin Herbert is back after a pair of subpar outings to finish October, completing nearly 85% of his passes while throwing two touchdowns and rushing for one on his own in LA’s win over Philadelphia.

Rookie defensive back Jevon Holland had his first career interception for the Dolphins on Sunday, although he also lost a fumble while returning a punt – his third week as the team’s new punt returner.

Troy Hill recorded his first two sacks of the season for the Bengals, while Arik Armstead had 10 combined tackles and a sack for San Francisco against the Arizona Cardinals sans Kyler Murray.

Without further ado, here is a look at how each Oregon alumni performed in the NFL during Week 9:

Justin Herbert sets another NFL record in Monday Night victory

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert became the only player in NFL history with 500 completions before his 20th NFL game.

With 1:32 left in the first half of Monday night’s game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders, quarterback Justin Herbert completed a four-yard pass to tight end Jared Cook.

It was the 500th completion of Herbert’s career, making him the only player in the Super Bowl era to complete 500 passes before making his 20th NFL start.

Herbert – who was making his 19th start – was the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year last season after making 15 starts and throwing for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns for LA.

He got off to a bit of a slow start this year, even throwing more interceptions than touchdowns through the first two games. However, he turned things around in a hurry – throwing seven touchdowns and no interceptions against Kansas City and Las Vegas these past two weeks, earning a pair of crucial victories in the highly competitive AFC West.

The former Oregon star is cementing himself as one of the best young stars in the NFL, and at his torrid pace he should continue to shatter early career records this season.

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