Now that Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith have been officially introduced as the Atlanta Falcons new GM and head coach, the next order of business will be the roster evaluation.
That includes two of the franchise's biggest names, and contracts, Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Holding the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, those decisions need to be made sooner rather than later.
Ryan, 36, will have a cap hit of $40.9 million while taking up 23 percent of the entire cap. The Falcons are currently $31 million over the projected cap in 2021.
However, NFL Insider Adam Caplan says there's a way to move on from the Falcons quarterback this offseason.
"It sure sounded like both guys (Fontenot and Smith) want Ryan back. It's a very trade-able contract, by the way," Caplan told the Midday Show.
"If you just look at the way contracts are structured, and you look at all the top quarterbacks around the National Football League, (Ryan's) contract is not one you look at and say 'oh my gosh, nobody would want it.' He's signed through 2023. His salary is just over $23 million. That is below average for a star quarterback. The cash number is only $23 million; you'll take that any day."
"From the Falcons standpoint, there's a decent amount of dead money. That's a little bit of an issue. For the receiving team, it's not a big deal at all."
Caplan said Fontenot and Smith's bigger decision when it comes to Ryan, is who is going to be his predecessor.
"If you're going to keep Matt Ryan, who eventually is going to be your guy? Who's going to be the guy that's going to come in behind him...You never want to wait until it's too late to eventually replace your quarterback."