The Atlanta Falcons saw their season come to a disappointing close last weekend in a divisional round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. As a result, the front office's attention has quickly shifted toward locking up their star quarterback, Matt Ryan, to a new long-term deal, according to Kelsey Conway of Atlantafalcons.com.
Thomas Dimitroff says the main focus this offseason will be on getting Matt Ryan’s next contract done. Taking care of QB1. #Falcons
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) January 18, 2018
Ryan is set to enter the final year of his five-year, $103.7 million deal that will pay him $19.5 million for the 2018 season. With both Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr recently reaching agreements on lucrative deals with their respective teams with average annual salaries north of $25 million, it should make the starting number for the 32-year-old around that territory, if not higher.
Since entering the league back in 2008, he has helped make the Falcons a consistent playoff contender, with six postseason appearances along with two trips to the NFC Championship game and a Super Bowl berth. With Ryan under center, the Falcons have three NFC South division titles and five campaigns with double-digit wins.
Ryan has performed like a top-tier quarterback for much of his career, with four Pro Bowl selections, a First-Team All-Pro nod, an NFL MVP award, and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. He is just a season removed from earning his lone MVP award after setting franchise-best marks with 4,944 passing yards and 38 touchdowns passes. He also posted the fifth-best passer rating all-time at 117.1.
Although he took an expected step down from that stellar campaign this season, he still followed it up with 4,095 passing yards, 20 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions, and a 91.4 passer rating. He finished eight in completion percentage and sixth in total passing yards.
Despite that, Ryan should still be in line for a massive extension at some point during the offseason in order to avoid any sort of questions about his long-term future with the franchise.
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