What’s next for Matt Ryan?
2 min read
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Matty Ice played nice with the Falcons, agreeing to delay a roster bonus in order to make it easier to trade him, if Deshaun Watson had picked Atlanta. Now that Watson is heading to Cleveland, what should Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan do?
It’s possible that the quid pro quo for Ryan’s four-day delay in his $7.5 million payment was an agreement to trade him, even if the Falcons don’t land Watson. After all those years in Atlanta and after never once hinting about the possibility of leaving, the Falcons were ready to throw him overboard. Surely, he was pissed. How could he not be?
He had leverage. He simply had to say no. Maybe he said yes without getting anything in return. Or maybe he squeezed the Falcons for a commitment to let him move on, whatever Watson did.
It’s unclear where he’d go, but there are teams that are currently doing a lot worse at quarterback than Matt Ryan. Seattle could use him, as could Indianapolis. The Texans need a better quarterback. The Panthers are begging for a franchise player at the position. He’d be an upgrade for the Lions, too. And he grew up in Philadelphia.
Whatever the case, Ryan was about to find out the hard way that football is a cold, calculating, ruthless business. They love you until the minute they’re done with you. And the Falcons were trying very hard to be done with Matt Ryan. He has every right to now want to be done with them.
