The Atlanta Falcons signed a two-year contract with quarterback Marcus Mariota on Monday shortly after the Indianapolis Colts acquired Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in a trade.
The Indianapolis Colts obtained the 2016 NFL MVP from Atlanta, for a third-round pick in this year’s draft (No. 82 overall). For Indy, the deal completes a two-week search for a successor to Carson Wentz, who was traded to the Washington Commanders after just one season with the Colts.
For Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard, it’s also the latest attempt to plug a hole created by Andrew Luck’s surprise retirement at age 29 just before the start of the 2018 season.
“Matt’s leadership and skillset will complement our roster’s growth and success,” Ballard said. “He’s long been a great ambassador for the NFL and the Atlanta Falcons, and we’re excited he can continue his accomplished career in Indianapolis.”
Ryan is undoubtedly the greatest quarterback in Falcons history, arriving from Boston College at a pivotal moment to replace Michael Vick. He steadied a franchise rocked by coach Bobby Petrino’s departure after 13 games and Vick’s imprisonment for running a dogfighting ring.
With Ryan taking over the offense as the starter from Day 1, the Falcons rebounded from a 4-12 mark in 2007 to make the playoffs in his rookie campaign — the first of five consecutive winning seasons and three postseason trips. Until Ryan’s arrival, Atlanta had never even managed back-to-back winning seasons since joining the NFL as an expansion team in 1966.
After several down years for the team, Ryan turned in his greatest season in 2016, throwing for a career-best 4,944 yards with 38 touchdowns. Atlanta appeared headed for its first Super Bowl crown when it built a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots by late in the third quarter, only to see Tom Brady engineer the greatest comeback in title game history for a 34-28 overtime victory.
Ryan posted 10 straight seasons with more than 4,000 passing yards until just missing the mark last year with 3,968. He has thrown for at least 20 touchdowns every year of his career, totaling 367 in his career with 170 interceptions. And he has missed only three starts in his 14-year career.
His 59,735 career passing yards are No. 8 in NFL history, and he will likely pass Dan Marino (61,361) for the No. 7 spot on the list next season.
Even though the Falcons made one more playoff appearance with Ryan, in 2017, they never seemed to recover from the stunning collapse on the NFL’s biggest stage. Atlanta has since endured four straight losing seasons, including a 7-10 mark last year, and has several big holes to fill.
“As we’ve said since we’ve started, we’re always evaluating and looking for opportunities to improve our team for the long term,” said Arthur Smith, who is heading into his second season as the Falcons coach. “This move is another step in that and we’re looking forward to the future.”
Mariota, a former Saint Louis School graduate and Heisman Trophy winner while at Oregon, was a free agent after playing the past two years in Las Vegas. Mariota joins the little-used Feleipe Franks as the only quarterbacks on Atlanta’s roster. Tennessee took Mariota with the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2015, but the 28-year-old played sparingly over the past two seasons as a backup to Derek Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Mariota lost his starting job with the Titans after going 29-32 record in five seasons. He’ll apparently get a chance to resurrect his career with the Falcons, who are also likely to pursue a long-term solution in the draft even though this is not considered a strong QB class.
Ryan never publicly criticized the Falcons or demanded a trade after their courting of Deshaun Watson, but it was apparent his days in Atlanta were done.
“This was a difficult decision, but it was made easier by Matt’s professionalism and understanding throughout,” second-year general manager Terry Fontenot said.
It was a jarring week for the city of Atlanta, which had just gone through the World Series champion Braves cutting ties with first baseman Freddie Freeman, Major League Baseball’s 2020 MVP, after a 12-year stint. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Now, Ryan is gone, too.
