Falcons don’t commit to Matt Ryan as their starter…
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The Falcons are $7.3 million over the projected cap of $208 million with the league year set to start March 16. Quarterback Matt Ryan, who has two years remaining on his contract, is scheduled to have the highest cap hit in NFL history at $48.662 million.
Neither General Manager Terry Fontenot nor coach Arthur Smith would commit to Ryan begin the team’s starter next season.
“I’m not going to say anything about any particular player or any . . . because if I answer that question, we can go through the entire roster and talk about who they are,” Fontenot said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But I would say we’re going to look to add to every position and try to improve this roster.”
The Falcons definitely will do something with Ryan’s contract. They have no choice.
Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett ($23.8 million), left tackle Jake Matthews ($23.6 million) and linebacker Deion Jones ($20 million) also have high cap numbers.
“(That’s) the elephant in the room, right?” Fontenot said. “We have some big numbers associated with four players, particularly our quarterback. We have a big cap number, and all those players with the big cap numbers, it’s not their fault. They’re just good professionals that come in and do their jobs. I want to be clear with that.
“But it is a challenge. . . . I wouldn’t say it’s a problem. I would say it’s a challenge.”
Despite Smith saying Ryan, who turns 37 in May, still has a lot of good football left in him, Ryan hasn’t made the Pro Bowl since 2016. He has had a passer rating over 100 only once since then (a 108.1 in 2018) and has played only two playoff games (both in 2017).
The Falcons would listen to calls for Ryan. Smith admitted as much wen he said the team won’t back itself into a corner. But it seems unlikely, with Ryan’s contract, his age and the compensation the Falcons would want, that a trade will happen.
“Depends what the offer is,” Smith conceded. “It’s like the old Don Corleone: They give you an offer you can’t refuse, I think you’ve got to take it. But that’s with everyone. You can ask Terry, if somebody wanted to give a bag of balls for me, they’d push me out the door.”
