Falcons and Matt Ryan reportedly agree to a five-year contract with a guaranteed $100 million.
Franchise quarterback Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons reportedly came to terms on a five-year contract extension with a $100 million guarantee on Thursday.
The Falcons star will become the first quarterback to earn $30 million a season with the deal, which was first reported by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
For Ryan, the 2016 campaign was the year when everything finally clicked. With an NFL-best 117.1 passer rating, the 32-year-old Boston College graduate completed 69.9% of his throws for 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions.
Even though his 2017 season wasn’t quite as successful as the previous one, it has now paid off greatly, both literally and figuratively, as he posted a 91.4 passer rating with 20 touchdowns.
Since the Falcons selected him with the third overall pick in the 2008 draft, he has frequently shown signs of developing into one of the league’s best quarterbacks. He didn’t perform at a high level throughout the entire season until the 2016 season, and he was rewarded with the Most Valuable Player Award.
With seven touchdowns and no interceptions in the postseason that year, he helped Atlanta defeat the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers en route to the Super Bowl.
Tom Brady and company battled back to win the championship in overtime after the Falcons had gone out to a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots. Despite the terrible defeat, Ryan nevertheless put on another outstanding performance, making 284 yards and two touchdowns on 73.9 percent of his throws.
All things considered, the Pennsylvania native had a stellar year. Dan Quinn, the head coach of the Falcons, gave Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution an explanation of what he thought enabled the four-time Pro Bowl selection to rise to the top of the NFL signal-calling hierarchy.
Quinn remarked, “I’ve always thought Matt was a good quarterback.What I can tell you is that his play has changed; there has been a jump in his intent, decision-making, and ability to know where to go. He was a skilled player already. However, I am fully aware that he has advanced to a new level.
More precisely, Ryan developed a skill for determining when to take risks down the field in order to give Atlanta big-play opportunities. One of the main reasons the club dominated the league in scoring offensively was their ability to take those deep passes without frequently getting intercepted.
Prior to the Super Bowl, Ryan said he never lost confidence in himself during the tough times in his nine-year career, which included a 2015 campaign in which he finished with 16 interceptions and 21 touchdowns. As reported by Ron Clements of Sporting News, he maintained his optimistic view about the future of the squad and himself.
He emphasized that you can never lose confidence or belief. You may be rapidly humbled in this league, that’s for sure. It has undoubtedly taken some time to figure out what is best for you individually and what functions best for our team. I’m glad we’re here because I always thought we would reach this point and get a chance to participate in the game.
Quarterback is one of the few NFL positions that merits large extensions after age thirty. QBs can still succeed well into their late 30s and beyond, especially if they are classic pocket quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
Despite the large monetary amount, there isn’t much risk associated with the contract when you consider that Ryan is perhaps just reaching the pinnacle of his career. For the Falcons, it’s a prudent investment as they aim to be one of the best teams in the league going forward.
