The Atlanta Falcons are still hard at work trying to get a deal done for quarterback Matt Ryan. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff revealed that while negotiations have indeed begun with Ryan’s agent, Tom Condon, there’s still no timetable for when a deal might be reached. However, he remains positive that they will be able to get one done “soon.”
“Initial talks are positive, of course,” Dimitroff said per ESPN’s Vaughn McClure. “We both know where Matt needs to be. … He wants to be here. As I've said, I don't think it's a complicated situation. It's significant. We're just going to have to be mindful of not stressing too much about the timing of it. Our drive is to get it done, obviously, soon. And I can see it getting done in the relatively near future. But I'm not fretting if it's delayed.”
Ryan has one year and $19.25 million left on the five-year, $103.75 million extension he signed in July 2013. It’s in the Falcons’ best interest to get a deal done with Ryan as quickly as possible to potentially lower his cap hit and free up more space before the start of free agency.
However, Dimitroff acknowledged the fact that Ryan’s camp can’t be rushed into a deal. That's because it’s likely in Ryan’s best interest to sit back and wait for Kirk Cousins’ potentially astronomical new deal in free agency to set the market before he commits to a new deal with the Falcons. With that major factor in mind, it might be unlikely that they find a resolution to this contract negotiation in the near future as Dimitroff predicts.
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