Adds Matt Ryan to the long list of quarterbacks who will change uniforms in 2022.
The longtime Atlanta signal caller leaves Georgia for Indianapolis after the Colts agreed to trade a third-round pick (no. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Monday. The teams later announced the deal.
Until Monday, Ryan’s stand in the Falcons franchise has remained unchanged since he arrived as the third general pick in 2008. He was drafted as the Atlanta franchise quarterback and became just that, earning four Pro Bowl Nods, a first Team All-Pro selection, and winning NFL Most Valuable Player honors in 2016, a season in which he led the Falcons to the Super Bowl . As faces changed, Ryan remained the constant for over 10 years.
Now he trades red and black for the Colts’ blue and white.
“Matt Ryan was the expression of a franchise quarterback during his time here in Atlanta,” Falcons owner Arthur M. Blank said in a statement. “He has represented this organization with great class, professionalism and leadership, both on and off the field, for the past 14 years. It’s hard to believe what he meant to me personally, our organization, his teammates and our fans. .
“From his first day in the building, Matt has been everything in pursuit to win a championship for Atlanta. His arrival in 2008 immediately made us a competitor in the NFC and he is our quarterback through the most successful era in Falcons history. Matt led us to the playoffs six times, including two NFC Championship games, and his first Super Bowl appearance under my stewardship of suffrage.Question one of the greatest games in Falcons history.He will one day be in our ring of honor added, and it is my conviction that a bust in the canton will follow in short order.
Ryan replaces the side-traded Carson Wentz in Indianapolis, where the Colts remain in win-now mode despite being forced to find secondary options under center in each of the last two seasons. Ryan will be the last veteran to join coach Frank Reich in hopes of pursuing a Super Bowl that has sacked Indianapolis since the Colts’ loss to the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV.
Indianapolis welcomes a quarterback who has been remarkably consistent throughout his career. Even as the Playmakers left Atlanta, Ryan continued to produce, throwing at least 4,000 yards in 10 of his last 11 seasons. 2021 marked his first under-4,000-yard season since 2010, and he finished just 32 yards shy of the mark, posting a 20-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio with an offense that lacks heavy weapons.
Ryan can certainly still beat it, and the Colts are relying on him to be able to raise their insults about how to deal with Wentz in 2021. Michael Pittman, Parris Campbell, Mo Alie-Cox and Ashton Dulin. Veteran free agent TY Hilton could also return to the Colts, especially with Indianapolis clearly pushing his chips to the middle of the table.
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