Matt Ryan realizes that he might not finish his Hall of Fame-caliber career with the retooling Atlanta Falcons. He realizes that the team, led by first-year coach Arthur Smith, isn't in a position to contend for a championship this season.
But the 36-year-old veteran quarterback has no intention of leaving Atlanta for greener pastures. He hopes to retire -- whenever that time comes -- with the franchise that drafted him third overall, back in 2008.
"For me, it's been about being here. I've just not been in that situation other guys have been in," Ryan told The Zach Gelb Show on Tuesday. "Everybody's situation with an organization is unique. I feel lucky to have been here my entire time. I'm happy I'm here, and hopefully, I'll be here for a long time... It's a good time to play quarterback, right? Careers have definitely gotten longer.
"But I feel good. And as long as that's the case, I'd like to play as long as I feel good and I'm playing well. Putting a number on it, I have no idea, because in this league, things can change really quickly. But if I continue to feel like this, play like this, I feel like I can play for a while... I obviously know there are no guarantees in how things shake out. I know people move. But I'd love to be here my entire career."
Ryan, who has a cap hit of $26.9 million this season and is under contract through 2023, can still make big-time plays. He's completed 67.9-percent of his passes for 990 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions through four games, and on Sept. 26, he became just the 10th player in NFL history to throw for 350 touchdowns.
His supporting cast has hindered progress, however. The Falcons' 34-30 loss to the Washington Football Team on Sunday marked the fourth time that Ryan lost a game with a stat line of four touchdowns and zero picks.
Atlanta (1-3) will face the New York Jets (1-3) in a Week 5 matchup in London on Sunday (9:30 a.m. ET kickoff). According to FiveThirtyEight's projections, the Falcons have just a 7-percent chance of reaching the playoffs.
The entire Falcons conversation between Ryan and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.