Washington Football Team: Three trades to upgrade QB position for 2021
44. . Quarterback. Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan. 2. player
Matt Ryan, once an NFL MVP, would be the perfect bridge quarterback for this franchise. At 35 years old, Ryan doesn’t have five seasons left in the NFL, but he can still give you 2-3 very productive ones.
Matt Ryan is a proven leader and a professional on and off the field, and should fit seamless into the Washington locker room.
Throwing for over 4,000 yards in every season since 2011, Ryan has reached three pro bowls, has notched a first-team all-pro nomination, and won an MVP award back in 2015.
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During his entire career, Matt Ryan has never had a QBR of under 60.4, and his passer rating has never been below 81.
A true model of consistency, Ryan has been a phenomenal franchise quarterback for his entire career. Nothing speaks more to what Ron Rivera is building culture-wise, then the potential addition of Ryan.
Ryan is the perfect veteran leader that this group would feed off of. That would pair well with the likes of Chase Young and Terry McLaurin, and may be similar to the charisma that Alex Smith brings to the table.
What Ryan brings in the locker room is understood, but his play on the field isn’t in question either. Throwing for an average of 4,570.1 yards on a completion percentage of 66.5 since 2011, he’s shown zero signs of slowing down. You couple that with the fact that he’s kept his QBR above 68 for six of the last seven seasons and it further proves how great he has been.
Ryan’s impact on the offense would be felt immediately, as he’s not only an upgrade physically and performance-wise on the football field over Alex Smith and hypothetically, Derek Carr, but his winning prowess and ability to transcend this offense can be counted on as he’s done that for years in Atlanta.
Atlanta will likely look to move off of their cornerstone quarterback with a likely top-four pick looming in ‘21 and an entirely new regime from top to bottom.
A deal that makes sense for both sides for a potential Ryan to Washington swap would look like this:
Washington gets their quarterback of the short-term future, as Matt Ryan is under contract until he hits unrestricted free agency in 2024.
Because of his large dead cap hits, it would be a risk for Washington to acquire Ryan. Nevertheless, Washington will get a consistent answer and a savvy veteran who’s proven to have a lot left in the tank, as Atlanta looks to rebuild and start fresh just one year into the 2020s.