Two years ago, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan signed a five-year, $150 million contract extension through 2023. While he doesn’t often get the recognition he deserves nationally, Ryan’s presence at least gives the team a shot to compete each year.
Entering his 13th season in Atlanta, the 35-year-old has one of the most secure jobs in all of football. The earliest the team could even consider moving on from Ryan is 2022. In ESPN’s quarterback commitment ratings, the Falcons were listed as the ninth-most tethered to their quarterback of the 32 NFL teams.
Ryan is making $20.5 million this year, and only $5.5 million of his $23 million 2021 salary is guaranteed. But due to the restructuring the Falcons did of Ryan’s contract after the 2019 season, they’d have to eat a nearly $50 million dead-money charge if they were to cut him in the 2021 offseason.
The soonest they could realistically get out of the deal would be two years from now, at which time the dead-money charge would be “only” $26.525 million. Ryan has two more years in Atlanta for sure, and probably at least three.
Having a highly-paid quarterback can be both a blessing and a curse. Without one, a team isn’t likely to ever get over the hump. However, if a team has a quarterback and doesn’t manage the rest of the cap effectively, it’s easy to get stuck in mediocrity.
After two 7-9 finishes, the Falcons are trying desperately to get back to relevance in 2020.
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