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The Atlanta Falcons were looking at potential Matt Ryan trades as they waited for Deshaun Watson's decision on his future. The Falcons were rather confident they would land Watson, making a Ryan trade seem inevitable.
Then Watson shocked the world by choosing the Cleveland Browns, leaving Atlanta high and dry. But while the Falcons missed out on Watson, they're still apparently looking at Ryan trades leading up to Monday's deadline for his $7.5 million roster bonus, a deadline that was already just pushed back from Friday.
This started before the #Falcons lost the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes and continued through the weekend. Matt Ryan has two years and about $54 million left on his contract. https://t.co/e2NdyRVkxu
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 21, 2022
Ryan reportedly would like a new deal from the Falcons, but it's unclear just how willing they are when it comes to that for the 36-year-old who has been their franchise quarterback since he came into the NFL back in 2008. Ryan is still a solid quarterback, but he's obviously past his prime and Atlanta has been mired in mediocrity basically ever since blowing the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.
Even without Watson in the fold, the Falcons may just want a fresh start as they look ahead to the future. And Ryan may prefer that as well after the Watson dalliance, especially if he doesn't get what he wants in terms of a new contract.
Atlanta is running out of time on this, so an ultimate decision is coming. It certainly wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if Ryan is back as the quarterback in 2022, but there's still a chance that's not the case as the franchise explores all of its options.
