Getty Colts quarterback Matt Ryan attempts to make a play during the 2022 season.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan did not have the year he or the Colts expected, with his troubles starting almost immediately, according to a story by ESPN’s Stephen Holder, and culminating in Ryan’s second benching on December 21.
Amid the excitement surrounding the acquisition of one of NFL history’s top passers, “there was arguably not enough attention paid to the strengths and weaknesses throughout the rest of the roster,” Holder wrote in the story published December 26, ahead of the Colts’ 20-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. Ryan was not even on the active roster for the game.
Ryan’s first benching came after Week 7 after the offense’s deficiencies were glaring, including an effective offensive line and inexperienced receiving corps. In his 12 starts, Ryan threw 13 interceptions, fumbled 15 times (losing five) and took 65 sacks.
“You came here and we promised you a top NFL rushing game and we promised you great protection, and we haven’t really, as an offense, delivered on that,” Holder reported former head coach Frank Reich saying to Ryan. “And that really starts with me.”
Reich was fired November 7, about two weeks after he unexpectedly benched Ryan in favor of 2021 sixth-round pick Sam Ehlinger. The Colts lost both games with Ehlinger as starter, Reich was dismissed and Ryan was reinstated as starting quarterback on November 13.
The Colts lost the next four out of five with Ryan, including a 39-36 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings on December 18 in which the Vikings mounted the biggest comeback in NFL history. Ryan was 19-of-33 for 182 yards and a touchdown but was sacked three times and was unable, in five fourth-quarter drives, to answer Minnesota’s comeback with a Colts score.
Matt Ryan’s Future With the Colts in Question
Ryan has not indicated whether he will play in 2023.
When asked during his December 13 press conference whether he had thought ahead to next season, Ryan said, “I don’t think so. I’ve always tried to handle the day that is in front of you, and particularly during the season. It’s one of those things that after the season certainly, as you get older, those are always discussions that you have to have, and you go through.”
But whether he plays next season might not be his decision.
Ryan, who will turn 38 in May, is under contract for another season with the Colts, but he will have a cap hit of $35 million.
“That could prove to be the death knell for his short-lived time with the Colts,” the Sporting News’ Jason Camenker wrote on December 4. “It certainly seems like Indianapolis will be searching for yet another new starting quarterback.”
Before his initial benching, Ryan suffered from a right shoulder sprain in the Colts’ 19-10 loss to the Tennessee Titans on October 23.
The Boardroom’s Anthony Puccio described in an October story (since updated on December 26) how both money and health could factor into the Colts’ plans for Ryan. He is guaranteed $12 million next year and another $17.2 million is guaranteed for injury, but the Colts could save $18 million to $29 million by releasing or trading Ryan after the season.
“The shoulder injury, depending on its severity, could end up costing the Colts a boatload of guaranteed,” Puccio wrote. “As a result, Ryan may have already played his last NFL snap due to the way his contract is structured. … All this could scare away every other prospective NFL team, too, leaving the former MVP with zero good options.”
Colts Accept Some of the Blame
Last season, the Colts offensive line performed at a high level, as then-quarterback Carson Wentz threw for over 3,500 yards and running back Jonathan Taylor led the league with 1,811 yards on the ground.
This season, it all went backward. The Colts have scored the third-fewest points per game (17.5). Last season, the team finished in the top 10 with 26.5.
Echoing Reich’s reported comment to Ryan about lack of support, interim coach Jeff Saturday implied that the offensive line hasn’t performed up to par, leading to some of Ryan’s turnovers.
“[Ryan’s] been sacked a lot, he’s been hit a lot, a bunch of turnovers and that’s not always on Matt,” Saturday told Holder. “There’s a lot of different pieces and parts that haven’t gone to plan. It definitely changes you.”