Arthur Smith: I think Matt Ryan has a lot of good…
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When the Falcons had the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft, there was some thought that they could draft a successor for quarterback Matt Ryan.
That didn’t end up happening, as Atlanta went with Kyle Pitts — who had a very successful season as a rookie tight end.
But Ryan still turns 37 in May. He has two more years left on his contract and carries a $48 million cap hit for 2022. But even though Ryan is getting older, it doesn’t sound like head coach Arthur Smith is eager to move on from the veteran quarterback.
“Obviously, we just watched in our division, Tom [Brady] played until he was — maybe he’ll still play, I don’t know,” Smith said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Certainly didn’t look his age. And Matt’s a lot younger than Tom. And I understand there’s only one Tom Brady.”
But Smith also didn’t close the door on a potential trade if an attractive one comes along.
“You don’t ever back yourself into a corner,” Smith said. “If somebody gives you an offer you can’t refuse, I mean, Matt knows how we feel about him. I think Matt’s got a lot of good football left in him.”
Ryan played all 17 games in 2021, completing 67 percent of his passes for 3,968 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. But that worked out to the lowest QBR of Ryan’s career at 46.1. His previous low was in 2019 at 59.6.
Arthur Smith: I think Matt Ryan has a lot of good football left in him
