Matt Ryan is waiting for an attractive opportunity to present itself, but the former Falcons quarterback isn’t retiring. In a post on Twitter, Ryan announced he will be joining CBS this season, noting that it wasn’t a retirement post.
https://twitter.com/M_Ryan02/status/1658110404634050561?s=20
Though his post-Falcons career hasn’t gone ideally, Matt Ryan could still land on his feet shall he choose to step away from football, which might not even be his decision.
He’s the greatest quarterback in franchise history, but his career ended in disappointing fashion. Since one of the greatest single seasons in NFL history, which culminated in an MVP award, Ryan’s career has gone downhill.
2017 was a productive season, but the Falcons came up short in the postseason, and it would be Ryan’s last playoff game. A combination of poor decision-making and organizational dysfunction resulted in the end of the Dan Quinn era. Arthur Blank forced the club to remain competitive despite an aging and overpaid roster, and Thomas Dimtiroff didn’t make enough good decisions.
Eventually, Atlanta hired Arthur Smith, who gave it his best shot to make the most of what would be Ryan’s last season with the Falcons. He and the roster didn’t have enough to be legit contenders.
The club hung on too long and handled moving on from Ryan terribly, pursuing Deshaun Watson, forcing the greatest quarterback in Falcons history into a tragic position.
Even past the Falcons, the Colts also didn’t do right by Matt Ryan. Indianapolis didn’t hold their end of the bargain with him; the offensive line went from one of the best to one of the worst, and the defense took a considerable step back. Leadership on the team wasn’t as solid as everyone initially perceived as well. Nobody could’ve won in that situation.
Thankfully, it seems Ryan will still be around the game. Following the 2022 regular season, he spent time on CBS’ pregame show, where he looked like a natural. A career in the broadcasting booth isn’t easy; plenty of big names have flamed out. He seems like he would do very well in that role, though. If this is the end for him, it couldn’t have gone worse, but we wish him the best of luck in the next phase of his life.
Sometimes, a player might not be ready to hang up his cleats, but the NFL is a cruel business and makes those decisions for you. Matt Ryan might want to continue his career, but it could be out of his control.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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