Getty Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan opened up about his future on January 9.
The 2022 season was arguably the hardest in the career of quarterback Matt Ryan. But the veteran signal caller doesn’t plan on it being his last.
When speaking with reporters on January 9, the Indianapolis Colts signal caller expressed his desire to play in the 2023 season.
“I still love playing,” Ryan told The Athletic’s Zak Keefer. “I think … obviously I’m not committed to anything, here wherever. I gotta see how it shakes out [with the coaching search]. But I still love playing.
“Honestly, I still feel like there’s a lot of good football in my body.”
Ryan added that he has no immediate plans to retire.
Ryan on his future: “I still love playing. I think… obviously I’m not committed to anything, here, wherever. I gotta see how it shakes out (with the coaching search). But I still love playing. Honestly, I still like there’s a lot of good football in my body.”
Ryan’s Murky Future With Colts
Indianapolis reworked Ryan’s deal last offseason, but there’s one year remaining on that contract. He is due to have a $35.2 million cap hit, which is obviously a huge number for a signal caller who didn’t finish the season as the team’s starter.
The Colts could cut Ryan and save about $17.2 million in cap space in 2023. If Indianapolis releases Ryan, the team would have to take an $18 million hit in dead cap money, but only for one season.
In all likelihood, that is what’s going to happen, regardless of who becomes head coach.
The one scenario where Ryan could return to Indianapolis is as a mentor to a young quarterback. Indianapolis holds the No. 4 overall pick and is predicted to be in the market for a signal caller in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Colts could enter the season with Ryan as the team’s placeholder behind center until the newly drafted quarterback is ready. Then when the youngster takes over, Ryan could serve as a sounding board for him.
Ryan, though, may not be interested in spending one of his last NFL seasons in that type of situation. He may want to pursue another opportunity where he would have more of a guarantee to start or a better chance to make a run at the elusive Super Bowl ring.
It’s also worth wondering if the Colts would find spending $35 million on a placeholder/backup quarterback and mentor worth while. Again, they could cut Ryan and spend about half of that money elsewhere.
Colts Benched Ryan Twice in 2022
Indianapolis had two different head coaches in 2022 — Frank Reich and Jeff Saturday. Both of them benched Ryan.
Statistically, it was Ryan’s worst season as a starter. He averaged 6.6 yards per attempt, which was his lowest since 2010. Ryan also threw 13 interceptions and fumbled 15 times.
The Colts offensive line did him no favors. What was billed as a strength to him when Indianapolis courted Ryan last offseason became a major weakness for the franchise. With a struggling line and injured Jonathan Taylor, the Colts didn’t feature much of a running game, and the responsibility to move the ball fell almost completely on Ryan.
At 37 years old, that wasn’t not a role Ryan was going to excel in. His statistics became a clear indication of that.
Maybe Ryan does have something more to offer the league. But after his subpar season in Indianapolis, he may find it difficult to land another starting job.
For now, though, Ryan will not rush into retirement and see how things shake out with the Colts and other teams over the next several weeks.