Succession: Matt Ryan Future Revealed by Falcons Owner Arthur Blank

Says Blank: “In every organization, you have to figure out what a succession plan looks like. So, (the front office is) all focused on that question, including Matt.''

Matt Ryan has been an NFL MVP and a foundational piece of the Atlanta Falcons for 14 years. It is difficult to even envision somebody else playing quarterback here.

But somebody else will. Maybe soon.

Robert McDuffie-USA TODAY Sports

“There is a transition, we all go through it in life,'' team owner Arthur Blank said to Carl Dukes and Mike Bell on 92.9 FM The Game. "Age does have its effect over time. Matt keeps himself in great condition and is anxious to keep playing. I think if his performance is at the level it has to be, we will be fine.

“But, he’s not going to beat Father Time ... So at some point, Matt will recognize it, we will recognize there has to be a transition.”

Ryan will be 37 years old next season. So yes, even as Ryan has a contract that runs through 2023 (with enormous cap hits for the next two seasons of $48.6 million and $43.6), "transition'' means "a succession plan.''

Said Blank: “In every organization, whether it be a corporate organization or a football team, you have to figure out what a succession plan looks like. So, (the front office is) all focused on that question, including Matt.''

It is an obvious admission but also a critical admission. Does Ryan deserve some sort of voice, some level of "exit dignity''? Maybe. Do the Falcons have their magical answer? Not yet.

But consideration of "an exit strategy'' and "a succession plan'' is a start.

Said Blank: “When is the right time to make that transition? When is the right time to do it in a thoughtful way? Some of these teams make their draft choices or they don’t really have a plan and the result is they go into this spin cycle and every year there’s a new quarterback. So we have to be thoughtful about it.”