Former Indianapolis Colts QB Matt Ryan recently announced that he’ll be joining CBS Sports as a football analyst. However, he isn’t retired, here’s why.
Recently, veteran quarterback Matt Ryan announced that he’ll be joining CBS Sports as a football analyst for the upcoming season. However, in Ryan’s announcement, he made clear that this new job for him didn’t mean that he was retiring. Ryan is still a free agent, and although he’s now with CBS Sports, he’s not closing the door on a return.
Matt Ryan just recently turned 38 years old, and has played 15 seasons in the NFL. His last season was an underwhelming year with the Indianapolis Colts where circumstances were less than ideal and Ryan suffered an injury and was benched twice. Having played 15 years in the league, winning an MVP, leading a team to a Super Bowl appearance, and having a case for the Hall of Fame, everyone would’ve understood if Matt Ryan decided to officially retire and start his promising television career.
But, that’s not the case. It’s not what Ryan wants to do, and he explained that in a recent appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Talking to Rich Gannon and Bruce Murray, Ryan detailed why he’s not retiring, saying, “I’ve just learned, in the 15 years I’ve played, to not shut any doors.”
"All the stars would have to [align]. I’ve just learned… in the 15 years I’ve played, to not shut any doors"
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) May 17, 2023
Matt Ryan talked to us about joining @NFLonCBS and whether he could return to the field next season. @M_Ryan02 | @RichGannon12 | @BruceMurrayNFL pic.twitter.com/ZYLUxJYlnv
Matt Ryan isn’t shutting the door on returning to the field
When last season ended, Matt Ryan was adamant about the fact that he wanted to continue playing and they he felt he still had something left in the tank. Combine that with his recent comments, and it won’t be surprising if a team convinces Ryan to stop talking about the game and get back to playing it this upcoming season.
As far as what it would actually take for Ryan to make that decision, he says that “all the stars would have to align” and “it would have to take everything,” but he is staying in shape in case he gets a call.
Ryan is likely referring to the status of interested teams. It’s hard to imagine that he’d be willing to comeback for a rebuilding franchise or a team with less than ideal circumstances. He showed in spurts last season that he’s still capable of playing well, but behind the Colts bad offensive line, Ryan struggled to protect the ball and put together complete games. If he’s going to put a pause on his career as an analyst, it will likely be for a team with a good offensive line and solid weapons, that is in a position to win meaningful games.