The Indianapolis Colts' search for a new starting quarterback is officially over. According to multiple reports, the team has acquired veteran Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons, in exchange for a 2022 third-round pick. The 36-year-old signal-caller is owed $23.7 million for next season, and if his contract remains as-is, the Falcons will assume an NFL-record dead cap hit of $40.5 million.
It didn't take too long for the Falcons to find Ryan's replacement. Just hours after the trade was revealed, the team signed former first-round quarterback and Las Vegas Raiders backup Marcus Mariota to a two-year deal. Right now, it's unclear whether Atlanta intends to enter 2022 with him as a bridge starter. With the eighth overall pick in this year's draft, they could still move up in the order and select one of the top quarterback prospects.
"The Colts just can't quit aging mid-level quarterbacks. This is a repeat of the same movie we've seen," Andrew Perloff said during the Maggie and Perloff show on Monday. "We certainly saw it two years ago with Phillip Rivers. Has a lot of similarities to Carson Wentz last year -- you could argue it's in the same vein as Jacoby Brissett the year before. Ever since Andrew Luck left football, they've been wandering in the mid-level quarterback desert."
"People do like the Colts -- they want to believe in the Colts. But they traded Wentz and it was obvious they didn't have a Plan B," Maggie Gray said. "They definitely didn't... Does Ryan get you to a place where Mayfield wouldn't have gotten you?... You're getting a better offensive line in Indy, you've got a good running game. But I just wonder if the accumulation of taking all those hits, if that's starting to catch up with Ryan."
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 the team's recent downturn, Ryan has still proven that he can start in the NFL. Last season, he completed 67-percent of his passes for 3,968 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 picks, and did so with an underwhelming group of receivers. Ryan can also find solace in the fact that the Colts have a well-built offensive line -- since 2018, he's been sacked a whopping 171 times. With this deal, Indianapolis now has the eighth-best odds to win the AFC, according to the William Hill Sportsbook.
Maggie and Perloff's thoughts on the Colts' trade for Ryan can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the Maggie and Perloff Show on Twitter @MaggieandPerl and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.