Will the Atlanta Falcons decide to move on from veteran quarterback Matt Ryan?
There are many questions surrounding the current status of the Atlanta Falcons following their 0-5 start to the 2020 NFL season.
Following the Week 5 loss to the Carolina Panthers that pushed Atlanta’s losing streak to five in a row to begin the year, the Falcons fired head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff in an attempt to revive the team moving forward.
With Atlanta now on the search for a new head coach and general manager, there are still more questions that have popped up for the team before they’ve even reached the midway point in the regular season.
Should the Atlanta Falcons trade Matt Ryan?
On Monday, as his team prepares for a Week 6 contest against the Minnesota Vikings, Falcons owner Arthur Blank sparked some further news regarding the future of the team, specifically with 35-year-old veteran quarterback Matt Ryan.
With the process of a new head coach and general manager underway, Blank noted that the organization will allow those individuals to decide the fate of Ryan and whether or not he remains in Atlanta beyond this season.
"“I love Matt, much like I love Dan, I love Thomas. Matt’s been a franchise leader for us, great quarterback; one of the leading quarterbacks in the last 13 years in the NFL. I hope he’s going to be part of our plans going forward. But that will be a decision that I won’t make.Matt has the ability to play at a very high level, even at this age. Whether that’s going to continue or not, I’m not sure. I appreciate his willingness to consider doing that and the level at what he’s played for us for 13 years, which has been incredible. So we’ll have to see.But then again, that’s going to be a decision, at the end of the day, that part of it will be up to the player; part of it will be up to the coaching staff. And whether or not Matt can keep himself together. God willing, he’ll be able to do that and play at the level that he’s capable of playing at.”"
In a year where there really hasn’t been any speculation surrounding the future of Ryan in Atlanta, now those rumors will begin. This could ultimately result in both sides parting ways at some point either this year or during the offseason. Ryan could very well stay with the Falcons for 2021, but it’s clear that the organization will look at everything before making a decision.
Blank made it clear that the organization will allow the new head coach and general manager to determine the direction of both the franchise and the quarterback position moving forward. Whether that includes Ryan or not is something that will have to be figured out.
Ryan has been a staple for the Falcons offense ever since he broke into the league as a No. 3 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Since that point, the quarterback has played all 13 of his NFL seasons in Atlanta, recording four Pro Bowl appearances, one All-Pro selection, and one MVP award along the way.
While leading a scary offensive unit both on the ground and through the air, Ryan has appeared in all five games for the Falcons so far in 2020. He has tallied 1,472 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing 63.2 percent of his 204 pass attempts.
If Atlanta was to move on from Ryan, it would require the team to take a significant financial cap hit and this is something that could put a kink in the team’s attempt to trade him.
It’s hard to imagine Ryan not taking the field in a Falcons uniform. But with the changes now underway both on the sidelines and in the front office, the veteran quarterback could be on his way out at some point as the franchise looks to the future.