Whereas Atlanta Falcons proprietor Arthur Clean expressed his admiration for Matt Ryan, he didn’t absolutely decide to the one-time MVP as the longer term quarterback because the franchise seeks out a brand new head coach and common supervisor.
On Sunday, coach Dan Quinn and Common Supervisor Thomas Dimitroff parted methods after a 0: 5 begin. Raheem Morris has been named interim coach whereas President / CEO Wealthy McKay has been tasked with overseeing day-to-day enterprise within the meantime.
Clean reached out to the media on Monday asking if Ryan, 35, was the longer term quarterback.
“I really like Matt, similar to I really like Dan, I really like Thomas,” mentioned Clean. “Matt was a franchise chief for us, nice quarterback; one of many main quarterbacks for the previous 13 years within the NFL. I hope he can be a part of our future plans. However that can be a call I can’t make.
“Matt has the power to play at a really excessive degree even at this age. Whether or not this can proceed or not I am undecided. I respect his willingness to take this into consideration and the extent he is for performed us for 13 years, that was unbelievable. So we now have to see. However alternatively, it can in the end be a call that a part of it’s left to the participant, a part of will probably be as much as the teaching employees. And whether or not or not Matt can stick collectively or not. If God wills, he’ll do this and have the ability to play on the degree that he can play at. ”
Clean didn’t use his typical phrase “Falcon for Life” when discussing Ryan. In the meantime, Ryan informed ESPN final yr that he needed to play in his 40s.
“I believe # 1 I nonetheless have an extended method to go,” mentioned Ryan. “However in case you can keep wholesome and nonetheless play at a excessive degree and all these issues, me.” don’t perceive why not. ”
Ryan, who signed a $ 150 million five-year renewal guaranteeing $ 100 million in Could 2018, has three years and $ 74.75 million left. He’ll depend $ 40,912,500 in the direction of the 2021 cap in the meanwhile, although the Falcons restructured his contract twice final yr to make means for the cap and would seemingly should do the identical once more to improve the roster subsequent season .
The Hawks have given no indication of plans to half methods with Ryan, regardless of interviewing high quarterback prospects Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa as a “due diligence” previous to this yr’s NFL draft, in line with Dimitroff.
McKay mentioned Monday that the brand new common supervisor would have management of personnel choices beneath the brand new construction, with the brand new common supervisor and head coach reporting to McKay. Clean mentioned the normal strategy was to rent the GM first after which the pinnacle coach, however added that this mess may not be out of order.
McKay was requested if there are any plans to commerce high-priced veteran gamers because the crew is predicted to have a good wage cap for 2021.
“No,” mentioned McKay. “We made a commerce final yr [Mohamed Sanu to Patriots for a second-round draft pick]. And it was a deal we thought was the participant’s finest curiosity. It was positively in our greatest pursuits, we thought. And we made that deal.
“If somebody got here to us with a deal for a participant and it made sense to us – it was in that participant’s finest pursuits, in our greatest curiosity, and we may do it – would we give it some thought? Possibly. That is one thing we search for would search. ” However this would possibly not be a scenario the place we are going to pre-determine the roster for the subsequent head coach and common supervisor. We’ll allow them to in, allow them to consider this roster, allow them to see the strikes they wish to make. ”
McKay went on to say that there are numerous excessive paid gamers on the roster who’ve a big influence on the wage cap. Nevertheless, McKay believes that the wage cap is at all times “one thing to maneuver round”.
At present, the Falcons have six gamers who’re anticipated to take greater than $ 136 million in cap house subsequent season: Ryan, large receiver Julio Jones ($ 23.05 million), defensive deal with in opposition to Grady Jarrett (20, $ 83 million), left deal with Jake Matthews ($ 20.21 million), go rusher Dante Fowler Jr. ($ 18.67 million) and linebacker Deion Jones ($ 12.63 million) ). Whether or not the Hawks intend to do a full rebuild appears to rely on how the brand new coach and common supervisor view the returning record. Clean mentioned the expertise on the squad is at present higher than the 0-5 document signifies.
Ryan admitted that this season he has not lived as much as expectations. He hasn’t thrown a landing go within the final two video games and thrown a pricey fourth-quarter interception ultimately zone through the Falcons 23:16 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. In 5 video games, Ryan has accomplished 129 of 204 passes for 1,472 yards with seven touchdowns, three interceptions, and a go ranking of 90.2.
Ryan is the third selection on the 2008 draft and at present ranks ninth on the all-time record at 52,658 yards.
