Getty Atlanta Falcons owner and CEO Arthur Blank speaks with Matt Ryan.
After 14 seasons repping red and black for the Atlanta Falcons, Matt Ryan has a new place to call home.
Ryan spoke to the press for the first time as the newest member of the Indianapolis Colt on Tuesday, March 22 where he opened up about the transition.
Contrary to what others may believe, the Falcons’ front office handled the trade/communication professionally, according to Ryan.
“It’s definitely been a whirlwind of a week for sure on my end,” Ryan said. “This time last week we didn’t know how it was going to shake out. … I’ve been fortunate I’ve never been through a transaction or a roster move, which is commonplace and day to day for the majority of the locker room. … From the time it started last week until we sit here today, I thought everybody handled everything professionally. I didn’t like everything I heard, but you don’t always like what you hear sometimes.”
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Ryan Met With Indianapolis on Saturday
The Falcons’ initial trade for Deshaun Watson fell through on Friday, March 18.
Ryan met with the Colts on Saturday night.
“I was in my office and I came downstairs and my wife was like, ‘you look different,'” Ryan said.
“Their passion, their commitment, their professionalism, the accountability Chris has for himself and what he does, the empathy Frank has for my situation of understanding of being in a certain spot and done it for one way,” he added. “I just knew the roster they have and the belief in the way they do things, the time was right for me. I knew that it was time to go in a different direction.”
Ryan mentioned past quarterbacks who had found success in Indy, including Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers and his personal favorite, Peyton Manning.
“It’s an organization that has a long lineage of incredible quarterback play, starting with Johnny Unitas, an award I was fortunate enough to win when I was in college and to meet his family. . . . And Peyton Manning, who for me, growing up, was exactly who I wanted to be. I’ve gotten a chance to get to know him during my career, and there’s not a better representative for this organization than him.
“I knew there was only one spot I wanted to go,” Ryan said. “And if I was going to make a move, this was the one place I wanted to be.”
Ryan leaves Atlanta after throwing for 59,775 yards and 367 touchdowns during his career, which also included a 2016 NFL MVP.
Trading Ryan Comes With a Hefty Price
While the Falcons can look forward to finding their future franchise quarterback, Ryan will still account for $40-million against the team’s cap, becoming the largest dead cap hit in NFL history, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The #Falcons will carry a $40.525 million dead cap hit in 2022 for Matt Ryan. That’s actually a savings of $9,093,382 … which they now will need to add a new starting QB.
On the bright side, the Falcons free up over $9 million in cap space for free agency, which they have already used on signing quarterback Marcus Mariota to a two-year deal and re-signing hybrid running back Cordarrelle Patterson to a two-year deal.
Contract details for both players have yet to be disclosed.
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