2022 has brought us one of the craziest NFL offseasons in recent years and it’s not even close. Tom Brady came back from retirement, Russell Wilson left the Seahawks, and the Falcons parted ways with longtime quarterback Matt Ryan.
The veteran signal-caller was traded to the Indianapolis Colts, which will be his second team in his career after 14 years in Atlanta. The decision took many by surprise, given that the front office seemed to support Ryan as QB1.
But things changed when the Falcons joined the race for Deshaun Watson. Even though he ended up at the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta’s interest in another quarterback has influenced Ryan’s decision to leave.
If Falcons hadn’t pursued Deshaun Watson, Matt Ryan might have stayed
“Had none of this gone down? There’s probably a chance — a pretty good chance,” Ryan said in The Ryen Rusillo podcast when asked if he would still be in Atlanta had they not chased Watson. “But it did, you know? So when it does, when the situations change and the circumstances change… You know, I had always thought, like everybody, when you’re drafted there, and you play there, this is where I’m going to play my entire career.
“For 14 years, every day I woke up, it was to try and help the Falcons win a championship. And that had been reciprocated on the other end for me. And so when that changed, I had to look into it. It’s certainly been a big change, for sure. But a good one. And so, it’s hard to say. But I think honestly, it’s more than likely I probably would’ve still been there had circumstances been different. But I’m excited with where I’m at.”
Ryan’s reaction makes a lot of sense, he realized his job security was lower than it seemed and decided to find a new team before it was too late. Now it’s time to move on, as the Colts will demand the best from him.
