After being benched for rookie Desmond Ridder, Marcus Mariota has left the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons don't know if Mariota will return. He was benched for performance reasons, but Arthur Smith also said Mariota would be placed on injured reserve.

Smith told Mariota last Thursday that he'd be benched for Ridder. On Friday, Smith learned that Mariota planned to "step away" from the team.

Mariota was the second overall pick in the 2015 draft. 

The Atlanta Falcons are making a change at quarterback and will start rookie Desmond Ridder over Marcus Mariota after their bye week.

The Falcons have lost four of their last five games, scoring more than 20 points just once over that stretch.

Atlanta used a third-round pick on Ridder.