NFL Quarterback Carousel Sees Matt Ryan Shipped to Colts
The ongoing game of quarterback musical chairs continued Monday with the Atlanta Falcons shipping Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2022 third round pick.
Ryan became expendable after Atlanta began pursuing troubled quarterback Deshuan Watson, who was traded by the Houston Texans to the Cleveland Browns in a blockbuster deal last week. The acquisition of Ryan means that the Colts will have a new starting quarterback under center for the third straight season. Two years ago it was Philip Rivers; last season it was Carson Wentz. The Colts dealt Wentz to the Washington Commanders for third round picks in 2022 and 2023.
Trade now official: Falcons have traded QB Matt Ryan to the Colts for a 2022 third-round pick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 21, 2022
Ryan will be 37 in May, and the Colts are reportedly restructuring his contract which has two years and $53.9 million left on it. “The trade will leave a dead-money charge of $40.525 million on the Falcons’ salary cap this season. It’s the largest known dead-money charge for any player all time, according to ESPN Stats & Information research,” ESPN.
The trade will have huge ramifications on the league. For starters there were rumors that the San Francisco 49ers were looking to ship Jimmy Garappolo for potentially two second round picks, but have yet to pull the trigger on anything. There were rumors that the Colts were interested in Garappolo at one point. With Ryan now in Indy, and suitors starting to dry up for Jimmy G’s services, do the 49ers stick with him for another season?
The Colts didn’t feel comfortable with Jimmy Garoppolo’s recovery timeline, which helped lead them to Matt Ryan. https://t.co/gvT9zcHJqC
— TheColtsWire (@TheColtsWire) March 21, 2022
In addition, the Falcons signed former Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota to a two-year $18.75 million deal. The Falcons are obviously looking for a new franchise quarterback in the draft either next month or next year, and probably won’t try to trade away capital to get either Garappolo or Baker Mayfield, who is also available.
And speaking of Baker Mayfield, where will he go now? And is he even a starter anymore? Mayfield reportedly told the Browns he would prefer to be traded to the Colts. That of course will not happen now. The only team that could be in the market to trade for a quarterback right away is the Seattle Seahawks, who dealt Russell Wilson to the Broncos. But it appears that the Seattle, like Atlanta, is rebuilding. The Seahawks did acquire quarterback Drew Lock in that deal with Denver, so one has to assume they will roll with him for the season.
The Steelers? The Browns are not trading Mayfield within in the division, and besides the Steelers already signed Mitchell Trubisky to a multi-year deal to be its starting quarterback.
The Giants or Eagles?
10 teams that should be calling about Baker Mayfield, according to @getnickwright:
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) March 21, 2022
1. Giants
2. Steelers
3. Colts
4. Seahawks
5. Lions
6. Saints
7. Panthers
8. Dolphins
9. Commanders
10. Patriots
"Baker would be an upgrade for 1/3 of the league." pic.twitter.com/rYuIPXffQv
Both the Eagles and Giants could be an intriguing landing spot for Mayfield. Neither team has a starting quarterback that is going into the season with worldwide support. The Eagles were interested in Watson at one point, even with Jalen Hurts in town, but Watson chose Cleveland instead. The Giants are said to be rolling with Daniel Jones as rookie Head Coach Brain Dabol and General Manager Joe Schoen want to find out what Jones has before making a call on his fifth year option after next season. A trade for Mayfield would seem out of character at this point.
That said, Mayfield in New York would be a very interesting storyline. He has a very magnetic personality that could either mesh well, or crash and burn in New York.
