Falcons legend Matt Ryan last threw passes with the Colts in December 2022 before they benched him for Sam Ehlinger. Now at age 40, Ryan watches 44-year-old Philip Rivers suit up for a Colts comeback, wondering if he could do it too. Recently, Ryan spoke about how the thought has crossed his mind. 

“Honestly, though, I’ve had these feelings,” Ryan shared on NFL on CBS in the Week 15 pregame show. “I’ve been sitting and watching games and been like, I think I could go out there and do it.” 

Though there is no concrete talk of a return, the Falcons fans would be more than happy reminiscing about Matt Ryan with them. The former quarterback started all 234 games for the Falcons from 2008 to 2021. He only missed three games in Atlanta, two in 2009 and another in 2019. The Falcons made it to the playoffs six times with Ryan leading, something Atlanta hasn’t sniffed in eight long years now. The comeback chatter came about after another former Colts player, Philip Rivers, recently unretired at 44 to rejoin the team. However, Ryan may not quite be ready yet. 

Though younger than Rivers, 40-year-old Ryan soon spoke about how wanting to do it is not the same as actually being able to. He learned that last summer on vacation when he was throwing with his buddy Matthew Stafford, Rams quarterback. They tossed passes back and forth, but the next morning hit Ryan like a blindside blitz.

“I woke up the next day, and my arm was hanging like this,” said Ryan. “My left oblique was so sore from the amount of torque that you put on that.”

While Ryan faced his retirement reality, Philip Rivers may just shock people this Sunday with his resilience.

Rivers suits up after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles tendon in Week 14 against the Jaguars, abruptly ending Jones’s season. The QB jumps in with that same spark, fresh off his 2020 stint where he guided an 11-5 Colts team to the playoffs before a tough loss to the Bills knocked them out.

During Ryan’s final season with the Colts in 2022, the team stumbled to a disappointing 4-7-1 record, which dimmed his prospects heading into the 2023 offseason. So, he pivoted by signing on with CBS as an analyst. Although he declared at the time that “this is not retirement” and positioned himself as a free agent ready for another team, Ryan never returned to the turf. 

Ryan chose to hang up his cleats in 2024 by signing a one-day contract with Atlanta to retire as a Falcon.

“Today, 16 years after being drafted, my childhood dream has officially come to an end. I’m honored to retire as a Falcon,” Ryan said in the retirement video. “You have no control in this profession in where you start. I am so lucky that my start and my finish was here in Atlanta.”

Though Ryan’s retirement is fairly new, the current squad seems to be struggling already. Ryan gripped Atlanta’s offense for 14 unyielding years. The 5-9 Falcons squad aches for his steady hand right now, especially when their quarterback mess turns desperate by the week.

Falcons’ QB chaos begs for Matt Ryan’s steady hand

The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins last season to steady their ship, but also drafted rookie Michael Penix Jr. to shape their future. Yet the team is stumbling as we speak, marking their worst performance since they started 4-9 in 2020.

Penix Jr. flashed real brilliance on the field before cruel fate struck him down hard with a devastating left knee injury that ended his season abruptly. He exited with over 1,900 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and only three interceptions.

That shift thrust Cousins back into the starter role. This season, Cousins has started five games and holds a 2-3 record in those games. His three Pro Bowl selections still shine brightly on his resume, but Super Bowl dreams fade quickly in Atlanta as trade rumors swirl around Cousins.

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The Falcons face a true nightmare if they try to dump Cousins anytime soon. He signed a massive four-year, $180 million deal back in 2024. They can cut ties most cleanly in 2027 when the dead cap will be way lower, around $12.5 million, allowing Penix Jr. to keep developing behind him in the meantime.

Cousins also holds a full no-trade clause in his contract, meaning that no decision about moving him out can ever be made without his personal approval. Matt Ryan’s retirement legacy contrasts sharply with current Falcons instability. With Cousins struggling and Penix sidelined, Atlanta’s quarterback puzzle deepens.