Matt Ryan's tenure as the Atlanta Falcons' franchise quarterback has ended. The team announced on Monday that they traded the 36-year-old veteran to the Indianapolis Colts, in exchange for a 2022 third-round pick. If the current terms of Ryan's contract remain intact, the Falcons will take on an NFL-record dead cap hit of $40.5 million next season.
Just hours after trade reports surfaced, Atlanta filled its quarterback vacancy by signing free agent Marcus Mariota, who spent the past two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders in a backup role. The former first-round pick has been reunited with head coach Arthur Smith, who served as the Tennessee Titans' offensive coordinator during Mariota's final season there, in 2019. It's unclear whether the Falcons view Mariota as a bridge quarterback for 2022.
"It still sounds dirty to say that Matt Ryan is no longer a member of the Atlanta Falcons. He'd been there for 14 years," JR said during Monday's edition of the JR SportBrief show. "He's won an MVP, and helped pass and throw them to a Super Bowl. Ultimately, he didn't win it -- but it's not his damn fault they didn't win... Matt Ryan has been steady, reliable, dependable, and professional. He never complained, he never whined, he never said he wanted out.
"He was the consummate pro, and now he's gone. He should've been gone a few years ago. The Falcons weren't doing anything but beating a dead horse. Good for Matt Ryan, go have a chance to at least win... God knows how long the Falcons are going to have to wait until they find their next quarterback... This is a good move for the Falcons -- he needed to be gone. This is a good move for the Colts. They needed a band-aid, and Ryan is that band-aid."
Ryan, who was selected third overall by the Falcons in the 2008 draft, spent 14 seasons with the franchise. In 222 games, he's racked up 59,735 passing yards with 367 touchdowns and 170 interceptions, and if not for a miraculous comeback from the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 51, he would've won league MVP and a Lombardi Trophy in the same season. In the last four years, Atlanta has failed to reach the NFC playoffs.
Despite having an inadequate group of receivers and a poor offensive line in 2021, Ryan still produced admirable numbers. In 17 games, he completed 67-percent of his passes for 3,968 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 picks, and his 90.4 passer rating ranked 18th in the league. Entering his age-37 season, Ryan will only benefit from Indianapolis' strong front in the trenches -- since 2018, he's been sacked a staggering 171 times (42.7 per season).
JR's complete thoughts on the Colts' acquisition of Ryan can be accessed in the audio player above.
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