NFL 2022: Predicting one cap casualty for every team this offseason
By Andrew Falce
Atlanta Falcons
Potential Cap Casualty: Matt Ryan
One of the teams with few actual players to cut, the Falcons move into this offseason with more questions than answers on their roster. Both sides of the team need significant help and most of their high-paid players are uncuttable.
Deion Jones and Calvin Ridley would save no cap space if released while names like Grady Jarrett and Jake Matthews are stalwarts on their respective lines. That leaves Matt Ryan as the most likely answer here.
Ryan was once a great quarterback, but regression due to his age and talent around him have caught up. The veteran is still a fine player, but he isn’t winning the games that he used to. This has left the Falcons in a state of perpetual mediocrity. Moving on from him admits that the team is preparing to tank, but it may be their best course in 2022.
He doesn’t save the team a lot of money. A cut would save the team roughly 8 million (or 23 million, if made a post-June 1st cut). It would leave the Falcons with a huge hole at their quarterback position, but it would set up this team for a chance to finally get their next quarterback.
The time is now to rebuild, and Ryan has to be the first name on the list to go.