Tom Brady Officially Retires; History For Falcons Matt Ryan?
Long-time Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement after the 2021 NFL season, ending an 18-year run as the signal-caller in Pittsburgh. … with the legendary Tom Brady doing the same on Tuesday (following premature network reports).
Wrote Brady: “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.
“My playing career has been such a thrilling ride, and far beyond my imagination, and full of ups and downs. When you’re in it every day, you really don’t think about any kind of ending. As I sit here now, however, I think of all the great players and coaches I was privileged to play with and against — the competition was fierce and deep, JUST HOW WE LIKE IT. But the friendships and relationships are just as fierce and deep. I will remember and cherish those memories and re-visit them often.
“I feel like the luckiest person in the world.”
Brady’s legend is unlikely to be matched. But how about Big Ben’s?
Roethlisberger entered the NFL as the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft, four full seasons ahead of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who was the third overall pick in 2008.
But statistically, their career trajectories have been very similar, with one glaring exception: Super Bowls. Roethlisberger, of course, has two in Pittsburgh, while Ryan has none for Atlanta.
But that doesn't mean success hasn't come in other areas for Ryan. With Roethlisberger's retirement, Ryan can now inch his way up just a bit higher in one important NFL records category: career passing yards.
Roethlisberger cannot add to his total of 64,085, and cannot better his position at fifth all-time in that category. Ryan, on the other hand, currently sits at eighth with 59,735. With Dan Marino in seventh and Philip Rivers at sixth, fifth place is well within reach for Ryan.
| RANK | PLAYER | YARDS |
|---|---|---|
1 | Tom Brady | 84,520 |
2 | Drew Brees | 80,385 |
3 | Peyton Manning | 71,940 |
4 | Brett Favre | 71,838 |
5 | Ben Roethlisberger | 64,085 |
6 | Philip Rivers | 63,440 |
7 | Dan Marino | 61,361 |
8 | Matt Ryan | 59,735 |
9 | Eli Manning | 57,023 |
Some quick math will tell you Ryan is just 4,351 yards from fifth place. In the last 10 seasons, Ryan has hit 4,351 yards passing eight times and failed to hit the 4,000 yards mark only once, in coach Arthur Smith's first season, when the entire offense struggled.
So a bounceback year where Ryan eclipses that mark is certainly within reach, especially with improved offensive weapons.
Ryan might not win that elusive Super Bowl in 2022, and in that sense, he’s not Brady or Ben. buthe can take his place in history at the No. 5 spot in career passing yards with just an average season by his standards. And that's certainly something for the city of Atlanta to come together for.
