Matt Ryan on track to make troubling history with Falcons contract

Matt Ryan is in line to set a record in 2022, and it is one the Atlanta Falcons are almost certainly going to attempt to prevent.

Ryan is under contract in Atlanta for two more seasons. The Falcons appear to be committed to the 36-year-old as their starting quarterback for the time being, but at what cost? According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Ryan’s current salary cap hit of just under $49 million for 2022 would be the highest cap hit in NFL history.

Falcons QB Matt Ryan is currently scheduled to have a cap hit of $48,662,500 in 2022.

That would be the largest cap hit for any player in NFL history.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 24, 2022

That, obviously, is a problem for the Falcons. They are currently more than $6 million over the salary cap, according to the latest numbers from Spotrac. Lowering Ryan’s cap hit would help alleviate some of that financial stress, but it may simply kick the problem further down the road.

If the Falcons sign Ryan to an extension by adding void years to his deal, that could lower his cap hit significantly over the next year or two. Absent Ryan taking a pay cut, they’d still have to deal with the consequences at some point.

Ryan’s numbers were down last season. The former NFL MVP threw for 3,968 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Falcons to a 7-10 record. There was talk of the Falcons drafting a quarterback early last year, but that did not happen. While they’d likely be open to trading Ryan this offseason, the veteran’s contract will make that quite difficult.

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