New Colts QB Matt Ryan Blames Atlanta Falcons’ Pursuit of Deshaun Watson For His Departure

There have been many shocking moves in the ongoing offseason of the NFL. With the major wide receivers moving teams because of their contract issues, there was one major quarterback move as well. Legendary Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts, and few saw that coming.

The Falcons drafted Matt Ryan in 2008 with the 3rd overall pick. Since then, he had been a part of the Falcons and was on the road to becoming their legacy quarterback.

His exit from the team was shocking, notably, because there were no signs of the Falcons shipping him off this season. However, Matt Ryan recently revealed why he wanted to leave the Falcons and join another team.

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Matt claimed that the pursuit of Deshaun Watson by the Falcons convinced him to seek another team. In a surprising turn of events, the Falcons are now without Matt, and they weren’t able to land Deshaun either.

Matt Ryan reveals the details about his exit from the Atlanta Falcons

The former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan talked about his exit from the Falcons in his appearance on the Ryen Russillo podcast.

Matt said, “When free agency starts to pick up, and they start to look into what they want to do, I kind of got filled into the loop that they were going to look into Deshaun Watson,” Ryan said. “And then at that point, I said, OK, I understand. But I also need to look into what I need to look into. And if this doesn’t go down, find out if this is probably still the best fit for me.”

If the Falcons wouldn’t have persuaded Deshaun, they might still have their legendary quarterback playing for them. Nevertheless, a new era in Atlanta kicked off as the Falcons drafted quarterback Desmond Ridder in the NFL Draft 2022.

Ryan discusses his experience in Indianapolis so far

With the arrival of Matt Ryan in Indianapolis, the Colts have become a strong contender once again. Unsurprisingly, the Colts already had a solid roster, and just needed an upgrade in the quarterback position.

Last season Carson Wentz had cost their chance of making it to the playoffs after having a horrendous game against the Jaguars. As a result, he was shipped out and ‘Matty Ice’ was brought in to carry over the team.

Talking about his arrival in Indianapolis, Matt said, “It’s certainly been a big change, for sure. But a good one. And so, it’s hard to say. But I think honestly, it’s more than likely I probably would’ve still been there had circumstances been different. But I’m excited with where I’m at.”

It will be interesting to see how the Colts play in the next season, as they are one of the best teams in the league. Their running back Jonathan Taylor was an MVP candidate last season, and his number might improve again with the arrival of a better quarterback in Matt Ryan.

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