We’ve seen Matt Ryan play 15 seasons in the NFL, where he’s become a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback, won the MVP in 2016, and even made it to a Super Bowl with the Atlanta Falcons. While his one-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts didn’t work out the way anyone had hoped, Ryan is still under contract for the 2023 season at a cap charge of $35.2 million.
Yet, the Colts can save $17.2 million by releasing the soon-to-be 38-year-old this offseason. For Ryan, who flopped to the point of getting benched in Indianapolis, if he’s released from the Colts, then what? Chances are he won’t be able to enter the season with a starting role, and the idea of holding a clipboard as a backup may not sound too intriguing.
Yet, Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports Ryan is “very interested” in getting into broadcasting as many other former NFL QBs have.
After all, seeing that Tom Brady can earn $37.5 million per season, or even that Greg Olsen can earn $10 million per season with FOX Sports, the idea of staying healthy, avoiding the grind of training camp, while still earning a pretty penny working as an NFL broadcaster may sound appealing for Ryan.
If Ryan is set to put his playing career on ice, he’d be going out with over 60,000 passing yards on his resume. This places him seventh on the NFL’s all-time career passing yard leader list, just behind Philip Rivers and ahead of the one and only Dan Marino.
- Matt Ryan career stats: 62,272 passing yards, 381 TD, 183 INT – 124-109-1 W/L record
While Ryan may be intrigued with the idea of sports broadcasting, he’s one of many former players who are looking for another way to stay involved with the game they know and love once their playing days are done. Perhaps instead of waiting to see if Ryan generates any interest in the NFL free agency market, we’ll instead be watching to see which network he signs with.
While his future remains unclear, if there’s one thing we know, it’s that Ryan would have a lot of interesting insight to offer, whether it’s his take on the largest Super Bowl comeback defeat of all time or even the largest regular-season comeback. Either way, Ryan has been able to laugh at himself in the past, and chances are, he’d do the same in a broadcast booth.
Related: 4 offseason moves Indianapolis Colts must make after hiring Shane Steichen