Colts acquire QB Matt Ryan from Falcons
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Colts have found their next starting quarterback.
The team about 6:30 p.m. Monday confirmed news media reports that it’s acquiring 14-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowler Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons for a third-round pick.
Atlanta has made the playoffs six times since selecting Ryan third overall in the 2008 draft. He his 59,735 career passing yards rank eighth in NFL history.
Ryan, 36, has 367 touchdown passes and 170 interceptions in 222 regular-season games.
He was named league MVP while leading the Falcons to the Super Bowl in 2016.
Ryan is the Colts’ fifth different starting quarterback in the past five seasons.
Blockbuster: Colts get QB Matt Ryan in trade with Falcons
BY MICHAEL MAROT, AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts may have found another short-term answer at quarterback by trading for Matt Ryan.
How much longer the soon-to-be 37-year-old, four-time Pro Bowler sticks around isn’t clear.
On Monday, Indy acquired the 2016 NFL MVP from Atlanta for a third-round pick in this year’s draft (No. 82 overall).
The Falcons wasted no time finding Ryan’s possible replacement — announcing they’d signed free agent Marcus Mariota to a two-year contract.
For Indy, the deal completes a two-week search for a successor to Carson Wentz, who was traded to the Washington Commanders after just one season with the Colts.
For Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard, it’s also the latest attempt to plug a hole created by Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement at age 29 just before the start of the 2018 season.
“Matt’s leadership and skill set will complement our roster’s growth and success,” Ballard said. “He’s long been a great ambassador for the NFL and the Atlanta Falcons, and we’re excited he can continue his accomplished career in Indianapolis.”
For the Falcons, it was the end of an era.
Ryan had started all but three games for the team since he was drafted No. 3 overall in 2008, leading Atlanta to only the second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
His fate was effectively sealed when the Falcons made an ill-fated bid for Deshaun Watson as their new quarterback.
“Matt Ryan has been the epitome of a franchise quarterback,” team owner Arthur Blank said. “It is difficult to overstate what he has meant to me personally, our organization, his teammates and our fans.”
But the Falcons decided to move on with a major rebuilding job that was only made more difficult by Ryan’s onerous contract, which was restructured multiple times in recent years as the team kept pushing a difficult decision down the road without drafting a possible successor.
The Falcons will carry a roughly $40 million cap charge in dead money this season, while Ryan’s salary cap hit for the Colts is a reported $23.75 million in 2022, rising to $28 million if he’s still on the team next year.
“This business is not without its difficult decisions,” Blank said in a statement. “While this is one of the most difficult decisions we have faced as a club, we feel it is in the best long-term interests of both the Atlanta Falcons and Matt Ryan.”
Ryan will become the sixth quarterback to start in Week 1 for the Colts in six years, adding his name to a list that already is composed of Scott Tolzien, Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers and Wentz.
He joins a franchise in which vice chairman Bill Polian once said he considered Ryan the most similar player in the league to Peyton Manning.
The Falcons put themselves in quite a bind with their pursuit of Watson, surrendering the long-time face of the franchise for a single, second-day draft pick.
As soon as they made a pitch to acquire the embattled Houston quarterback, it became clear Ryan would not want to return to a team where he had played his entire NFL career that then openly tried to replace him.
Watson supposedly narrowed his potential choices for a trade to New Orleans and Atlanta — with speculation the Falcons were the favorite because Watson is a Georgia native. But he changed his mind and accepted a $230 million, fully guaranteed deal with the Cleveland Browns, who sent three first-round picks to the Texans in the deal.
Ryan is undoubtedly the greatest quarterback in Falcons history, arriving from Boston College at a pivotal moment to replace Michael Vick. He steadied a franchise rocked by coach Bobby Petrino’s departure after 13 games and Vick’s imprisonment for running a dogfighting ring.
With Ryan taking over the offense as the starter from Day 1, the Falcons rebounded from a 4-12 mark in 2007 to make the playoffs in his rookie campaign — the first of five consecutive winning seasons and three postseason trips. Until Ryan’s arrival, Atlanta had never even managed back-to-back winning seasons since joining the NFL as an expansion team in 1966.
After several down years for the team, Ryan turned in his greatest season in 2016, throwing for a career-best 4,944 yards with 38 touchdowns. Atlanta appeared headed for its first Super Bowl crown when it built a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots by late in the third quarter, only to see Tom Brady engineer the greatest comeback in title game history for a 34-28 overtime victory.
What the Colts are getting in Ryan is a model of consistency — something they’ve lacked following the retirements of Luck and Rivers and the departures of Tolzien, Brissett and Wentz. Ryan has two seasons left on his current contract and the Colts are well-positioned to absorb the salary cap hits each season.
“I’ve long admired Matt for his steady, methodical approach to the game,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “He is one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league and has spearheaded numerous fourth-quarter game-winning drives.”
Ryan posted 10 straight seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards until just missing the mark last year with 3,968. He has thrown for at least 20 touchdowns every year of his career, totaling 367 in his career with 170 interceptions. And he has missed only three starts in his 14-year career.
His 59,735 career passing yards are No. 8 in NFL history, and he will likely pass Dan Marino (61,361) for the No. 7 spot on the list next season.
Even though the Falcons made one more playoff appearance with Ryan, in 2017, they never seemed to recover from the stunning collapse on the NFL’s biggest stage. Atlanta has since endured four straight losing seasons, including a 7-10 mark last year, and has several big holes to fill.
“As we’ve said since we’ve started, we’re always evaluating and looking for opportunities to improve our team for the long term,” said Arthur Smith, who is heading into his second season as the Falcons coach. “This move is another step in that and we’re looking forward to the future.”
Mariota joins the little-used Feleipe Franks as the only quarterbacks on Atlanta’s roster. Tennessee took Mariota with the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2015, but the 28-year-old played sparingly over the past two seasons as a backup to Derek Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Mariota lost his starting job with the Titans after going 29-32 record in five seasons. He’ll apparently get a chance to resurrect his career with the Falcons, who are also likely to pursue a long-term solution in the draft even though this is not considered a strong QB class.
Ryan never publicly criticized the Falcons or demanded a trade after their courting of Watson, but it was apparent his days in Atlanta were done.
“This was a difficult decision, but it was made easier by Matt’s professionalism and understanding throughout,” second-year general manager Terry Fontenot said.
It was a jarring week for the city of Atlanta, which had just gone through the World Series champion Braves cutting ties with first baseman Freddie Freeman, Major League Baseball’s 2020 MVP, after a 12-year stint. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Now, Ryan is gone, too.
AP National Writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.
News release from Colts
Indianapolis – The Indianapolis Colts today acquired quarterback Matt Ryan in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a third-round selection (82nd overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“We’re thrilled we had a chance to acquire a proven veteran in Matt Ryan who brings tremendous experience to our team,” said Colts General Manager Chris Ballard. “Matt’s leadership and skillset will complement our roster’s growth and success. He’s long been a great ambassador for the NFL and the Atlanta Falcons, and we’re excited he can continue his accomplished career in Indianapolis.”
“I’ve long admired Matt for his steady, methodical approach to the game,” said Colts Head Coach Frank Reich. “He is one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league and has spearheaded numerous fourth quarter game-winning drives. Matt will be a fantastic representative for our organization, and I’m excited to get to work with him and the rest of the team this offseason.”
Ryan, 6-4, 217 pounds, has started 222 career regular season games in 14 seasons (2008-2021) with the Falcons and has completed 5,242-of-8,003 passes for 59,735 yards with 367 touchdowns and 170 interceptions for a 94.2 passer rating. He has also compiled 1,469 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. In NFL history, Ryan ranks in the top-10 in numerous passing categories, including attempts (ninth), completions (seventh), completion percentage (10th), yards (eighth) and touchdowns (ninth). He is tied for fourth in 300-yard passing games (73). Ryan is tied for fifth in 4,000-yard passing seasons (10) and is one of only two players to reach that mark in 10 consecutive seasons in NFL history. Through a player’s first 14 seasons in the league, he ranks in the top-five in attempts (first), completions (first), passing yards (first) and passing touchdowns (fifth). Ryan owns 21 franchise records for Atlanta.
Ryan has started 10 postseason contests, including Super Bowl LI, and has completed 237-of-351 passes for 2,672 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a 100.8 passer rating. He has also recorded 43 rushing yards and one touchdown. Ryan was originally selected by the Falcons in the first round (third overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Ryan was named Associated Press NFL MVP, Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Pro in 2016. He was Atlanta’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2016. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Ryan was selected AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2008. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month three times and earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors nine times.
In 2021, Ryan started all 17 games and completed 375-of-560 passes for 3,968 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for a 90.4 passer rating. He also ran for 82 yards and one touchdown. Ryan finished ninth in the league in completions.
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