Falcons Unlikely To Trade Matt Ryan
The Falcons are apparently receiving at least some trade interest in quarterback Matt Ryan. However, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports hears that clubs that have inquired on the four-time Pro Bowler are getting the “distinct impression” that he will not be dealt (Twitter link).
Thus far, the Seahawks have turned away all teams interested in trading for signal-caller Russell Wilson, and while Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is said to be torn on whether he wants to remain in Green Bay, there is a good chance that both players stay put in 2022. Couple that with a collegiate quarterback class that has some promise but no surefire stars, and Atlanta would theoretically be in a good position to net some draft pick compensation in a Ryan trade, compensation that could help usher in a new era for the franchise.
That is especially true given Ryan’s relatively modest base salaries of $16.25MM and $20.5MM over the final two years of his contract. Even when considering his age (he will be 37 in May) and the $7.5MM roster bonus he is due later this month and in March 2023, a team that believes it is a quarterback away from title contention might be willing to pull the trigger. The Commanders, who are leaving no stone unturned in their search for a quality QB and who recently made a strong push for Wilson, could be one such club, and the Steelers could be another.
From Atlanta’s perspective, though, the prospect of a trade is a bit messier. As a result of multiple restructures, the most recent of which GM Terry Fontenot begrudgingly made, Ryan’s dead money charge for 2022 if he were to be cut or traded prior to June 1 is a whopping $40.5MM. Even a post-June 1 transaction would result in a dead money number just shy of $25MM, and that’s not to mention the fact that HC Arthur Smith wants Ryan back. Indeed, the NFC South could be wide open in 2022, and Smith may feel that, with Ryan under center, he might be able to nab a division title.
On the other hand, even if Atlanta were to earn a playoff berth, it does not presently profile as a legitimate championship contender. Although a $40MM+ dead money charge would be tough to swallow, a Ryan trade or release prior to the $7.5MM roster bonus coming due on March 19 would also give the Falcons an additional $8MM of cap space to work with, and it would allow them to start afresh in 2023.
The team is already eyeing a Ryan succession plan, and if rival clubs are interested in making a deal, it may be in Fontenot’s best interest to think long and hard about accelerating that plan.
Falcons Eyeing Matt Ryan Succession Plan
Going into his age-37 season, Matt Ryan is still on track to be the Falcons’ starting quarterback. The team passed on Justin Fields and Mac Jones last year, however, leaving the 14-year starter without an heir apparent.
The Falcons took a risk by passing on prospects in a better QB draft compared to the upcoming group. They do hold the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft. That might be sufficient real estate to nab the top 2022 passing prospect, though it remains murky on who exactly that is going into the Combine, and Arthur Blank indicated the team needs to be prepared to grab Ryan’s eventual successor.
“Our fans should look for a succession plan,” Blank said, via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And I think that’s not improper. It doesn’t show a lack of confidence in Matt, but, you know, I mean, Father Time will get to all of us.”
No draft has commenced without a quarterback going in the top five since 2013, when only E.J. Manuel went in Round 1. Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett and Matt Corral rank as first-round-level prospects, per ESPN’s Scouts Inc., which slots each as top-30 prospects but none as top-15-level talents. Quarterback demand will naturally push one or two near or into the top 10 this year, with the QB trade market certain to affect how some teams approach the upcoming rookie crop.
The Panthers have been linked to Pickett at No. 6, but the Falcons’ NFC South rivals remain interested in Deshaun Watson. Trading for Watson will remove Carolina from first-round considerations at any position for the foreseeable future. And, unless the Lions are keen on reaching for one of these QBs at No. 2, the Falcons could have a clear runway at quarterback. QB-needy teams will surely explore scenarios about trading in front of Atlanta as well.
Ryan’s presence could lead Atlanta to wait another year, but the team is picking in the top 10 for just the second time in the past 14 drafts. Ryan’s contract, which calls for an NFL-record $48.7MM cap number this year, runs through the 2023 season.
Falcons HC Arthur Smith Wants Matt Ryan To Still Be Starting QB
If Arthur Smith has his way, Matt Ryan will be the Falcons starting quarterback in 2022. Per Chris Mortensen (on Twitter), the Falcons HC is a proponent of Ryan and wants him under center next season.
Specifically, Smith wanted Ryan as his QB when he joined the organization last offseason. Per Mortensen, the coach has made his fondness for Ryan clear to owner Arthur Blank and general manager Terry Fontenot.
It’s been four seasons since Ryan and the Falcons finished with a winning record, but the veteran QB was still managing to put up numbers. That wasn’t necessarily the case in 2021, as the 36-year-old’s 3,968 passing yards and 20 touchdowns were among the lowest of his career. To top it all, the Falcons once again finished below .500 at 7-10.
There have been rumblings that the Falcons could pursue a replacement at the position, with many pundits believing the organization could look toward the draft. The team avoided the position during last year’s draft, and while they could reconsider during the 2022 draft, the rookie class isn’t filled with a bunch of future starting QBs. Further, considering the money that the Falcons still owe to Ryan, the team might not even have a choice when it comes to the former MVP’s future with the organization; rather, they might just be stuck with him.
NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Darnold, Cowboys
Imagine a loaded Buccaneers offense with…Jonathan Taylor at running back. It could have been a possibility, as the Buccaneers had their eye on the Wisconsin product during the 2020 draft, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bucs were armed with the No. 14 heading into that draft, and Taylor was on the “short list” of players the organization was considering with that selection. The team ended up with their preferred prospect, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, and they traded up to No. 13 to make sure they got the lineman. However, if Wirfs was off the board at that point in the draft, then Tampa Bay likely would have pivoted to Taylor, who didn’t hear his name come off the board until midway through the second round.
“I loved him,” Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said recently (via Schefter). “He could do it all, and it was just a matter of time — playing behind that offensive line — that he was going to be the force that he is.”
Taylor has obviously had a standout season with the Colts, leading the league with 1,348 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns (naturally, he’s also leading the NFL with 1,684 yards from scrimmage and 18 total scores). Of course, things have worked out fine for the Buccaneers. Wirfs has started all 28 of his career games, while the duo of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones were more than capable during Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl run.
Some more notes out of the NFC…
- Sam Darnold seems to be out of the picture in Carolina, but the Panthers still owe the quarterback $18.8MM in guaranteed money in 2022. The team already paid Denver $7MM to inherit Teddy Bridgewater, leaving the organization with $17MM in dead cap. As a result, Joseph Person of The Athletic believes Darnold will stick around as a high-priced backup vs. being involved in a salary dump. Person specifically cites a 2017 trade where the Texans attached a second-round pick to Brock Osweiler to dump his salary on Cleveland; league sources tell the reporter that “an Osweiler-type trade involving Darnold is unlikely.”
- Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards is a candidate for the head coaching job at his alma mater, Duke University, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). Edwards was a four-year player for Duke, and he served as an assistant on the Duke staff way back in 1996. He’s had a long coaching career since that time, including a recent six-year stint as the Vikings defensive coordinator. Edwards has been a senior defensive assistant with the Cowboys since 2020. Duke parted ways with David Cutcliffe last month.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com recently tweeted the 10 highest salary cap hits for 2022, and the top three spots all belong to the NFC. Falcons QB Matt Ryan and his $48.7MM cap hit leads the way, following by Packers QB Aaron Rodgers at $46.1MM and Vikings QB Kirk Cousins at $45MM. Other NFC players on the list include Seahawks QB Russell Wilson (sixth, $37MM), Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (ninth, $34.5MM), and Lions QB Jared Goff (10th, $31.2MM).
Falcons GM Was Against Matt Ryan Restructuring
Back in March, the Falcons managed to carve out some cap space by restructuring the contract of Matt Ryan. However, it sounds like at least one member of the front office wasn’t a proponent of the move. According to Tori McElhaney of The Athletic, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot “didn’t really want to make” the move.
Fontenot was brought in as GM in January, and the organization needed some immediate breathing room to participate in the early parts of the offseason. While the Ryan restructuring reduced the quarterback’s cap number to $14MM, it also converted $21MM of Ryan’s $23MM upcoming base salary into future signing bonuses (spread out over the duration of his contract). The means Fontenot will have to once again deal with a muddled cap sheet next offseason, which was something he was presumably looking to avoid.
According to the writer, the recently hired GM ultimately “thought his hands were tied,” and he believed the team’s only solution to opening some necessary cap space was to either restructure Ryan or cut Deion Jones. Ultimately, the organization decided to rework Ryan’s contract, the fourth time the quarterback has restructured his mega-deal. Ryan will now have cap hits north of $40MM in 2022 and 2023.
The team (temporarily) committed to Ryan when they decided to not select a quarterback during this past year’s draft. Considering the money that’s owed to Ryan over the next few years, the team will likely be stuck with the veteran. Ryan hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since 2018, but he’s still completed 65.6-percent of his passes while averaging 26 touchdowns vs. 12.5 sacks over the past two years. Ryan won’t have one of his favorite targets with Julio Jones out of the picture, but the team still added tight end Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 pick to pair with 2020 second-team All-Pro Calvin Ridley.
Falcons’ Matt Ryan: Lots Of “Good Football” Left
Father Time is undefeated, but Matt Ryan is undeterred. On Tuesday, the Falcons’ quarterback told reporters that he has no plans of slowing down or calling it quits as he enters his age-36 season. 
[RELATED: Falcons “Have To Listen” To Julio Jones Offers]
“If you play well long enough you know these things come up,” Ryan said of the speculation regarding his job security (Twitter link via Tori McElhaney of The Athletic). “I still believe I am playing really well and have a lot of good football in front of me.”
Many believed that the Falcons would select Ryan’s eventual replacement at No. 4 overall. Instead, they invested in Ryan’s offense by drafting Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. For Ryan, it was a clear vote of confidence. Now, the veteran will wait to see if longtime partner Julio Jones will remain by his side.
“He’s probably impacted my career more significantly than any other player,” said the QB (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein).
Pitts, Calvin Ridley, and Hayden Hurst would still stand as capable targets, but no one has a track record to match Jones. Since 2011, Jones has racked up seven Pro Bowl nods with 848 catches, 12,896 yards, and 60 career touchdowns.
While Ryan can’t imagine the Falcons without Jones, new GM Terry Fontenot says they “have to listen” to offers for him.
Falcons GM, HC Split On Drafting QB?
Earlier this morning, we heard that the Falcons were open to moving down from the fourth overall pick. Now, we have some more details on what’s happening inside the building.
Atlanta’s new GM Terry Fontenot apparently favors drafting a quarterback, while new head coach Arthur Smith does not, Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported recently, via Evan Birchfield of The Falcoholic. “What I’m hearing is that [Terry] Fontenot is more focused on quarterback, and Arthur Smith believes that Matt Ryan does have two or more years left,” Mortensen said.
While that big split between a GM and head coach in their first year together might not be ideal, it doesn’t sound like the situation has turned toxic or anything. The fact that Atlanta is open to moving the pick would seem to indicate that Smith’s view might be winning out.
“He has no real medical history, he hasn’t missed many games in his career and there hasn’t been a big drop off in his play,” Mortensen said of Smith’s view of Ryan. Interestingly, Mortensen also had some info on who the Falcons might pick if Fontenot gets his way.
“One thing I do hear though is that if they do go quarterback at No. 4, then Trey Lance is probably the guy,” he said. It sounds like there’s a real possibility that Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, and Lance go 1-4. Ryan, 36 next month, is signed through the 2023 season.
Falcons Restructure Matt Ryan’s Deal
Atlanta has gotten under the salary cap just ahead of the start of the new league year. They’ve done it in part by restructuring the contract of Matt Ryan, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. Zach Klein of WSB was first to tweet the news.
Atlanta converted $21MM of Ryan’s $23MM base salary for this upcoming season and turned it into a signing bonus to spread it out over the duration of his contract, which runs through 2023. The move knocked Ryan’s 2021 cap number down about $14MM, Rothstein writes.
As he points out, this isn’t breaking any new ground, as this is the third time Ryan’s contract has been restructured. The move allows the Falcons to get under the cap for now, and also could be indicative that they have Ryan in their long-term plans.
There had been some speculation the team would look to move on before too long, but this restructure makes it a lot harder to get out of his contract. He’ll now have a dead cap number north of $40MM in 2022. Ryan will turn 36 in May, and new coach Arthur Smith has insisted he isn’t planning on blowing things up. This move would be consistent with that.
Arthur Blank: Matt Ryan, Julio Jones Will Be With Falcons In 2021
Earlier this week, we heard the Falcons are not taking calls on Matt Ryan and that they expect his top weapon to remain in the fold as well. Falcons owner Arthur Blank confirmed that Ryan and Julio Jones will be part of Arthur Smith‘s first Falcons roster.
“Well, I’d be shocked, completely shocked if he was not, and it really has nothing to do necessarily with his contract,” Blank said of the prospect Ryan would not be a Falcon in 2021, via Andrew Siciliano of NFL.com. “… He’s performed beautifully, was MVP of the league one year. So Matt can still play at a very high level and we expect him to be a Falcon next year, fully.
“We expect Julio to be a Falcon, to be playing next year at a very high level as well. God-willing, taking care of his body, his hamstring will be healed up. He’ll be able to play in more games than he played last year. So they’ll both be with us.”
The QB trade market recently produced a blockbuster, with Matthew Stafford going to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff and three draft picks. Ryan resides in a similar position to Stafford. He has been with his team for over a decade (13 years) but has seen it decline to point it holds a high draft pick. Like the Lions, the Falcons also hired a new head coach and GM. However, Ryan both signed for more money on his most recent extension — in 2018 — and restructured his deal to further pile up money on Atlanta’s cap going forward. A Ryan trade would cost the Falcons more than $40MM. Three seasons remain on Jones’ $22MM-per-year deal.
Blank, however, acknowledged the prospect of a succession plan. The Falcons hold the No. 4 overall pick — their highest draft slot since they used 2008’s No. 3 overall choice to select Ryan — and will see their longtime starter turn 36 this year. The owner referencing the Chiefs’ successful (but rarely utilized) QB developmental model perhaps points to the Falcons being in the market for a passer at No. 4.
“In any business, including professional football or any sports business, you do have to prepare for succession planning, and that’s what separates a lot of great organizations that are great over a longer period of time because they think through, how do they continue to stay at the level they’re at,” Blank said.
“A good example is what Kansas City has done when they drafted Patrick Mahomes, who came out of a very high-scoring offense in college but needed to go through a professional transition. He played behind Alex Smith for a year, a great competitor, a great quarterback, a great mentor, and he learned a lot, so he’s producing now at a much higher level and he’s had a healthy transition. So I think you have to think about long-term while you think about winning today. That’s what good coaches and what good general managers do.”
Falcons Not Expected To Trade Matt Ryan, Julio Jones
With Matthew Stafford off the market, teams interested in acquiring other accomplished quarterbacks may not need to look toward Atlanta. Last weekend’s Lions-Rams blockbuster shows nothing can be completely ruled out, but the Falcons are not looking to part ways with either of their two cornerstone players this year.
The Falcons have not engaged in any trade talks regarding Matt Ryan or Julio Jones, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (video link). Both Falcon stars are expected to be part of Arthur Smith‘s first Atlanta squad.
Ryan stands in an interesting situation. He will be set to play for a third head coach, but Smith will be the first offense-geared leader to lead the Falcons in Ryan’s tenure. The Falcons also hold the highest draft choice they have possessed since drafting Ryan in 2008, presenting a prime opportunity to acquire the 35-year-old passer’s successor. Regardless of how Atlanta proceeds with the No. 4 overall pick, Ryan’s lucrative contract is expected to remain on the franchise’s 2021 payroll.
Despite Jones’ 10th NFL season halting his historic run of production, thanks to hamstring trouble that kept him out for much of the 2020 slate, the future Hall of Famer would obviously generate trade interest. But the Falcons gave him a market-topping extension in 2019. His 2021 base salary ($15.3MM) is fully guaranteed. The Falcons would be tagged with a greater dead-money sum — in excess of $40MM — if they were to move Ryan. Another Ryan restructure could be on tap; the 13-year veteran’s 2021 cap figure sits at $40.9MM.
With a salary cap drop expected in March, the Falcons are already projected to be well over the estimated ceiling. GM Terry Fontenot‘s new team is not in the kind of cap hell the Saints are, but the Falcons are one of five other teams — as of Groundhog Day — who project to be over the cap by more than $30MM. While the cap may not drop to the agreed-upon $175MM floor, the Falcons will certainly help themselves by not trading Ryan and Jones this year.