'This Is Where I Want To Be': Former Falcons QB Matt Ryan Gets Fresh Start With Colts
Matt Ryan gushed over the fact he was set to quarterback a team that "Johnny Unitas built" back in Baltimore. Ryan said he always looked up to the former Super Bowl champion, discussing how he met the Unitas family after winning the award named after the quarterback 15 years ago.
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He also mentioned former Indianapolis Colts' greats Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. What Unitas started, Manning finished. He led Indy to a Super Bowl title in 2007 while becoming one of the greatest passers in modern football. Ryan wanted to be just like him in the pros.
Luck, the former No. 1 pick in 2012, could have been great, but injuries hampered his career from ever taking flight.
Take flight is exactly what the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback hopes to do with his new opportunity. He wants to be the option that gets the Colts back to their winning ways following a 9-8 season with Carson Wentz at the helm.
And no, not just in 2021. He's not pulling a Philip Rivers farewell tour.
“I’d like to play as long as I can,” Ryan, who’ll turn 37 in May, told reporters Tuesday at his introductory press conference. “I feel really good. My body feels really good. I still feel like I can play at as high a level as I ever have.”
Ryan was traded Monday after Atlanta elected to meet with Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson, who eventually would waive his no-trade clause for Cleveland Browns, was considered to be the only player that both general manager Terry Fontenot and owner Arthur Blank were willing to add in order to move off Ryan.
The feeling wasn't mutual on Ryan's side. He remained quiet while Blank tried to woo Watson to return home. He also knew that if the team were to acquire a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback entering his prime, he'd be shown the door.
“I’m not naive, I understand how this business works,” Ryan said. “I don’t like everything I heard, but you don’t like what you hear sometimes.”
Ryan said that one place he hoped to play if traded would be the Colts. He saw the foundation in place on both sides of the football, with talent such as offensive lineman Quenton Nelson, running back Jonathan Taylor, and linebacker Darius Leonard.
All that was missing was the quarterback.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard swung big and missed with Wentz last offseason. He wouldn't be doing the same with Ryan, a proven player with consistent numbers throughout his 14-year career.
"Matt Ryan has been the epitome of a franchise quarterback during his time here in Atlanta," Blank said in a statement Monday afternoon. "He has represented this organization with great class, professionalism and leadership, both on and off the field, over the past 14 years.
"He will one day be added to our Ring of Honor, and it is my belief that a bust in Canton will follow in short order."
Ryan begins a new chapter in his journey. So does Atlanta, which enters the season now with Marcus Mariota as the next quarterback. Blank and Fontenot now must decide what to do with the No. 8 pick.
Draft Ryan's successor? Wait a season for a strong draft class? Best player available?
That's Atlanta's problem, not Ryan's.
The 15th season of Ryan's career should be different than his final one with the Falcons. He's traded in facing Tom Brady and Jameis Winston for a division title for Ryan Tannehill and Trevor Lawrence.
Add in a more stout offensive line plus upgraded run game, what's not to like about the situation?
Ryan will never forget his time in Atlanta, but both sides realized it was time to move on. Indianapolis feels ready to take the next step in contention status.
By next season, maybe the Colts send a thank you card to Blank and the Falcons front office.
Said Ryan: "I’ve been watching what this team has been building the last three or four years, getting better, and I really feel like this is the place you’d wanna come to in the position I was in."
