Are there any downsides to the Colts trade for Matt Ryan?
The trade that sent Matt Ryan from the Falcons to the Indianapolis Colts has garnered Indy a lot of praise, but are there any downsides?
Immediately after news broke that the Indianapolis Colts were trading for veteran quarterback Matt Ryan, fans and media members begin to praise the move.
Indy was able to land a quality and healthy quarterback that it can plan its offseason around. But now that the dust has settled and everyone can take a step back from the initial excitement, it’s time to ask if there are any downsides to this acquisition for Ryan.
Surely there has to be. No trade, or player, in the NFL is perfect. For all of the benefits Indy took on, there have to be a few drawbacks as well. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of Matt Ryan becoming the Colts’ next quarterback.
Indy Ice. 🧊 pic.twitter.com/9Zoqwklpis
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) March 23, 2022
Pros of Colts acquiring Matt Ryan
Before getting into the bad, let’s start with the good, which there’s plenty of. The most important thing is that Indy has a real starting quarterback— early in the offseason.
Ryan will be able to go through the entire offseason program and hit the ground running once the season arrives. It also doesn’t hurt that all it took was a third-round pick to get him.
Another positive is that Ryan is still good. Although the Falcons didn’t have much success in his last few seasons, Ryan was still a quality passer. He can still perform at a level that can help a talented Colts roster compete with the best.
The final positive is that Ryan is contracted for two more years and Indy will likely have a quarterback start consecutive seasons for the first time in five years.
Yes, Carson Wentz also joined Indianapolis with multiple years remaining on his contract, but he was always considered more of a gamble than Ryan’s current status. The question marks that were present when Indy acquired Wentz ultimately led to him being traded away.
Ryan, on the other hand, doesn’t have those question marks. Barring an unfortunate injury or sudden change of heart to retire, Ryan should be Indy’s starter for at least two years.
So what are the downsides?
Cons of Colts acquiring Matt Ryan
Really, there’s only one. The only tradeoff of having Matt Ryan as the quarterback in Indianapolis is that he turns 37 years old in May. That means the Colts will only be able to get so many more years from Ryan before they are right back in the same spot.
Ryan, entering his 15th season, isn’t the quarterback of the future for Indianapolis. This is a move Indy had to make because he was the best option to be competitive right now.
With the talent on the roster, it was the right move. The Colts will be able to make playoff runs with Ryan and the rest of the guys in place. It’s just unfortunate that Indy wasn’t able to land on a long-term solution or an option that guarantees more than two years of stability at the quarterback position.
The Colts need to maximize these next two years with Matt Ryan on the roster because there’s no telling when Indy will land another quality starting quarterback.
