NFL Offseason: It’s time for the Atlanta Falcons to trade Matt Ryan
The Atlanta Falcons are at a crossroads with their franchise quarterback, Matt Ryan. Should they trade their 14-year veteran signal-caller?
When the reporting came out that the Atlanta Falcons were apparently making a push for Deshaun Watson, the clock on Matt Ryan’s tenure in Atlanta began to tick down to zero.
While there is no guarantee that Ryan is traded this offseason, or even next, the Falcons need to make the right decision and deal their 14-year veteran while they still can.
A divorce like this would surely be hard. Matt Ryan has won 120 games in his 14 years in the NFL, all with the Atlanta Falcons. He was the MVP of the league in 2016 and helped put Atlanta back on the map for a period of time.
The last several seasons have yielded less than spectacular results, though. Even though Ryan has been mostly effective during the past 4 seasons, the Falcons have not been able to do anything of note.
Ryan will turn 37 in May and is quickly approaching 40 years old. I would guess he probably wants to play another three or so seasons, seeing as many quarterbacks, past a present have played very good football in their late 30s and even into their 40s.
Matt Ryan has a Hall of Fame resume in my opinion, but he does not have a Super Bowl ring.
His 4-6 playoff record and 0-1 Super Bowl record is less than ideal, and the Falcons are quite a ways away from competing for a title.
The Falcons and Matt Ryan need to rip the band-aid off and agree to a mutual parting of ways.
The Falcons need quite a bit; they need more bodies at receiver, several pieces along their offensive line, and bodies at all three levels of their defense. They also don’t have a ton of cap space either, and with Matt Ryan’s massive contract on the books, it’s proven to be hard for them to sign the players they need.
Being that the team needs quite a bit, it does not make much sense for the team to keep Ryan.
A team like the Indianapolis Colts who need a signal-caller could give up draft capital to acquire the player.
With a newer head coach and general manager in the mix, Atlanta would be wise to get a head start on a rebuild by trading Ryan.
GM Terry Fontenot and Head Coach Arthur Smith surely want to remain with the team for the long-term, so trading their biggest asset and the oldest player would be a wise decision.
From Ryan’s perspective, he should know that Atlanta is not going anywhere of relevance anytime soon. Being that Tom Brady is back in the NFC South, the Falcons are a longshot to win the division, to say the least.
Much like how Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford left their prior teams, Ryan should leave Atlanta.
The formerly mentioned quarterbacks both enjoyed success with their old teams, but it was clear at the time of each players’ divorce that their respective teams were not doing anything of note.
For Matthew Stafford, the decision to leave Detroit paid off instantly. For Russell Wilson, his decision remains unknown for now. There are a few teams that are in much better shape than Atlanta that could use Ryan’s services.
The Colts make the most sense, as they went 9-8 with Carson Wentz last year. Matt Ryan is a much better player and would help the Colts get themselves in the playoffs in a very winnable AFC South.
The Steelers could also be an option, even though they just signed Mitchell Trubisky. The Dolphins would be another team I could see having outside interest. As for the NFC, the Seahawks perhaps would be interested in Ryan, along with the Giants.
It remains to be seen if the Falcons would be willing to deal Matt Ryan within the NFC, but the Giants and Colts stick out to me the most as teams that would make the most sense for Ryan.
There’s also the Baker Mayfield situation to consider as well. Mayfield apparently wants to be traded to the Colts, so the Colts could very easily show more interest in Mayfield than a 37-year-old Ryan.
There is no guarantee that the Atlanta Falcons will trade Matt Ryan, but it is indeed time for a divorce.