Falcons sign tight end with connections to Arthur Smith, Marcus Mariota

The Falcons announced Tuesday the signing of tight end Anthony Firkser, who has connections to coach Arthur Smith and quarterback Marcus Mariota. (JASON GETZ FOR THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION)

Credit: Jason Getz/For the AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/For the AJC

The Falcons announced Tuesday the signing of tight end Anthony Firkser, who has connections to coach Arthur Smith and quarterback Marcus Mariota. (JASON GETZ FOR THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION)

The Falcons announced Tuesday the signing of a tight end with connections to coach Arthur Smith and quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Anthony Firkser signed a one-year contract, the Falcons announced in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

Firkser spent the past four seasons with the Tennessee Titans, playing in 58 games, with three starts. He caught 106 passes, out of 140 targets, for 1,107 yards and five touchdowns.

Firkser signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent from Harvard in 2018. Smith was the Titans’ tight ends coach in the 2018 season and their offensive coordinator from 2019-20 before becoming the Falcons’ head coach.

Mariota started 13 games at quarterback for the Titans in 2018 and six in 2019. Mariota signed with the Falcons in March after the team traded Matt Ryan to the Colts. He spent the past two seasons as a backup with the Raiders.