AP Source: Colts get QB Matt Ryan in trade with Falcons

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The Indianapolis Colts may have found another short-term answer at quarterback by acting for Matt Ryan.

How much longer the soon-to-be 37-year-old, four-time Pro Bowler holds is not clear.

On Monday, Indy told the 2016 League MVP of Atlanta for a third-round pick in this year’s draft (No. 82 overall,) a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press about condition of anonymity because the deal was not announced . .

The Falcons did not waste any time finding Ryan’s replacement – announcing that they have signed free agent Marcus Mariota to a two-year deal.

For Indy, the deal completes a two-week search for a successor to Carson Wentz, who was traded to the Washington Commanders after just one season with the Colts. For Colts general manager Chris Ballard, it is also the latest attempt to bridge a gap created by Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement at age 29 just before the start of the 2018 season.

Ryan becomes the sixth quarterback to start in Week 1 for the Colts in six years, adding his name to a list that already includes Scott Tolzien, Luck, Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers and Wentz. He concludes with a suffrage that his vice-president Bill Polian once said he regarded Ryan as the most similar player in the league to Peyton Manning.

“You have to be right (at quarterback) and even if you’re not right, you have to keep shooting until you get it right,” Ballard said during the NFL annual scouting combination. “We have to get it right.”

The deal also makes something else clear: The Falcons go into Rebuild mode.

Shortly after the Falcons made a highly publicized but failed offer to sign Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson last week, it became clear that Ryan did not want to return to a team where he played his entire NFL career and then openly tried had to replace him.

Watson has apparently reduced his potential choices for a trade to New Orleans and Atlanta – with speculation the Falcons were the favorite because Watson is a native of Georgia. But he changed his mind and accepted a $ 230 million, fully guaranteed deal with the Cleveland Browns, who sent three first-round picks to the Texans in the deal.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz (2) crawls to the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, January 9, 2022, in Jacksonville, Florida. Indianapolis Colts, according to a person with immediate knowledge of the situation. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, as the deal could not be finalized until the start of the new league year next week.

Ryan is without a doubt the greatest quarterback in Falcons history, the No. 3 overall pick in 2008, coming in to replace Michael Vick. He strengthened a franchise from coach Bobby Petrino’s departure after 13 games and Vick’s prison for running a dogfighting ring.

With Ryan running the offense, the Falcons retired from a 4-12 mark in 2007 to make the playoffs in 2008 – the first of five consecutive winning seasons and three postseason trips. Until Ryan’s arrival, Atlanta had never managed a back-to-back winning season since joining the NFL as an expansion team in 1966.

After a few years for the team, Ryan converted in his biggest season in 2016 to throw a career-best 4,944 yards with 38 touchdowns. Atlanta appeared on its first Super Bowl crown when it took a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots in the late third quarter only to see Tom Brady Engineer make the biggest comeback in title game history for a 34-28 overtime victory.

What the Colts get in Ryan is a model of consistency – something they lacked after the retirement of Luck and Rivers and the departure of Tolzien, Brissett and Wentz. Ryan has two seasons left on his current contract and the Colts are well positioned to absorb the pay-cap hits every season.

Ryan posted 10 straight seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards until he missed just 3,968 last year. He is tossed for at least 20 touchdowns each year of his career, a total of 367 in his career with 170 interceptions. And he missed just three starts in his 14-year career.

His 59,735 career passing yards are No. 8 in NFL history, and he will likely pass Dan Marino (61,361) for No. 7 spot on the list next season.

Even though the Falcons made another playoff appearance with Ryan, in 2017, they never seem to recover from the impressive collapse on the NFL’s biggest stage. Atlanta has experienced four straight losing seasons, including a 7-10 mark last year, and is clearly in build-up mode.

Mariota comes with the little-used Feleipe Franks as the only quarterbacks on Atlanta’s list. Tennessee took Mariota with the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2015, but the 28-year-old has played sparingly in the last two seasons as a backup for Derek Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Mariota lost his starting job with the Titans after going on a 29-32 record in five seasons. He’s apparently getting a chance to pursue his career with the Flacons, who are also likely to pursue a long-term solution at quarterback in draft, even if this is not seen as a strong quarterback class.

The city also just watched as world champion Braves cut ties with first baseman Freddie Freeman, the Major League Baseball 2020 MVP, after a 12-year stint. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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AP National writer Paul Newberry in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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