Former Falcon Matt Ryan Signs One-Day Contract With Atlanta To Retire

Matt Ryan started at quarterback for the Falcons from 2008 to 2012 and set every important team passing record during that time.

On Monday, quarterback Matt Ryan officially retired from the NFL. He did this in Atlanta, where he signed a one-day contract to exit as a Falcon. From 2008 to 2012, he played professional baseball, and all but one season, he was with the team that gave him his first chance when he was 22 years old. He's 38 years old now.

Ryan said, "It was a wild ride." "I can't wait for the next part of our lives and to see where it leads us." But today is exciting for me because in this job, you never know where you'll start, and I couldn't have been happier that it was here in Atlanta. It was a great start, and it went on for 14 years. Now I can end it with a bang by retiring as a Falcon today.

Ryan came to Atlanta from Boston College as the third overall pick in the 2008 draft. He was put in charge right away as quarterback.
Ryan began all 16 games of his first season, going 11-5 and completing 61.1% of his passes for 3,440 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 11 picks. That year, Ryan helped the Falcons make the playoffs, but they lost to the Arizona Cardinals in the wild-card round.

In 2021, Ryan started all 17 games for the Falcons in what would be his last season with the team. His completion rate was 67%, and he threw for 3,968 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. With a 7-10 record at the end of the season, the Falcons haven't been able to beat that mark since.

Over the course of the season, Ryan started 222 of the Falcons' 225 games. In his 14 years with Atlanta, he won 120 games and lost 102, and the team made the playoffs six times. This team almost made it to the Super Bowl in 2016, but the New England Patriots beat them.

Ryan said, "It hurts." "I believe it's something that will always be a part of you, right? Life is hard sometimes, and you have to accept that you won't always reach your goals. A lot of things in your life are going to go that way. You need to get up and go. There is a quote by Winston Churchill that I saw: "Success isn't final, and failure isn't fatal." It's the courage to keep going that counts.

In fact, he set every big league passing record instead.

Ryan has thrown for 5.242 scores and 8.003 attempts, good for 59,735 yards, 367 touchdowns, and 170 interceptions. He is the Falcons' all-time passing leader. He throws for 269.1 yards per game, which is the best rate. Out of all the players who played in at least 10 games, he made the most passes (65.5%). In 2019, he threw a pass that went 93 yards, which was also the league record for that year.

Ryan got a lot of praise from people across the country for his achievements. His play earned him the Offensive Rookie of the Year award from The Associated Press in 2008. After that, AP named him to the first team of All-Pros, gave him the Offensive Player of the Year award, and named him MVP in 2016. Also, he was picked for the Pro Bowl four times: in 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said, "When I went back and read these notes and got ready for today, I was amazed at what Matt has done in the 14 years that we've had him as our quarterback and leader."

This person is a great football player, but I think they are even better as a person, a husband, a father, and a friend. I and my whole family have loved having him as a friend for that long. Matt is like a family member to them, and he is. He's definitely from Atlanta. As the representative of our team, it's an honor for me to be here today to see Matt end his career as an Atlanta Falcon.

Ryan had three full-time head coaches with the Falcons: Mike Smith (2008–2014), Dan Quinn (2015–2020), and Arthur Smith (2020). Raheem Morris, who is now the head coach, was Ryan's temporary head coach for 11 games in 2020 after Quinn was fired after the first five games.

On March 21, 2022, the Falcons sent Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts in return for a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Ryan's last season of play was that year. Ryan started 12 games for the Colts and went 4-7-1. He made 67% of his passes and threw for 461 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He hurt his shoulder and missed two games in Weeks 8 and 9. Sam Ehlinger filled in. Nick Foles took over for Ryan in Week 16 and played the rest of the season. The Colts had a 4-12-1 record.

"I think we were hoping for a different result, but I am thankful for that opportunity," he said. "In this league, getting to play isn't something you take lightly." Thank you to everyone in Indianapolis."

Ryan was hired by CBS Sports as an NFL reporter for some games and shows during the upcoming season on May 15, 2023. In his Instagram post about the news, Ryan made sure to say, "P.S., this is not a retirement post."

But this is.

"I wanted nothing else as a kid other than to play professional sports," he said. "That chance came from the Falcons in April 2008." I know it's not easy to choose draft picks. You can choose from a lot of different routes. So, every day it was my job to make sure you guys were right, and I did my best to do that for 14 seasons.

That was 14 years ago, and it's still going on today. Thank you for your trust, and thank you for the bonds that last. I will always root for Atlanta and the Falcons.