Matt Ryan Traded To The Colts

By Alex Al-Kazzaz

It appears that the Matt Ryan era is over in Atlanta. A journey that began all the way back in 2008 ends in 2022. What a stint! A stint that includes a trip to the Super Bowl that unfortunately did not end well for Ryan and the Falcons. Regardless, Ryan's tenure in Atlanta was respectful, as he holds numerous NFL records, as well as countless franchise records.

The 36-year-old former MVP and third round overall pick is going to the Indianapolis Colts. The Falcons receive a third-round pick in exchange. Ryan still has two years remaining on the five-year, $150 million contract he signed back in 2018. For the next two years, Ryan is owed nearly $40 million in base salary. The trade creates a dead cap hit of over $40 million, the largest in NFL history.

At this point, the question is where do the Falcons go from here? Do they go after another quarterback via a trade or do they draft a rookie in the upcoming draft? Atlanta has the eighth overall pick this year. They're next move remains to be seen. Atlanta has struggled since 2018 and the team's future is quite unclear.

As far as Ryan goes, it's unclear how much more the veteran QB has left in the tank. It may be safe to say that once he finishes the two years remaining on his contract, he'll retire. Although there's been no rumors or reports about Ryan talking about retirement. But it's clear that Ryan is beginning to move past his prime if he's not past it yet.

The Colts have been through numerous quarterbacks since 2018. Their most recent was Carson Wentz who was recently traded to Washington. Right now, expectations for the Colts and Ryan are unclear, but the Colts ought to begin looking for a name that they can groom to be their next franchise quarterback.