Matt Ryan traded to Colts
- Thread starter Ed Hillel
- Start date
I mean...everything about the Falcons' last few days sucks, but this was a corner they needed to turn soon. I will genuinely root for Matty Ice to do well in Indianapolis, and I think behind a good offensive line he still has quite a bit left in the tank; he'll definitely be better than Wentz was last year, even if he's historically taken time to learn new offenses (usually it takes him until the second year under a new OC before you see the best of him).
Yep, and that's the reason Atlanta ddidn't want to make this trade. But at least it's all off the cap in 2023, when apparently the Falcons have well over $100 million in cap space. So that's the silver lining, even if 2022 is going to be beyond painful to be a Falcons fan.
Maybe. But I'm pretty sure Ryan was trying to stick it to the Falcons and/or force his way out. It's possible that Ryan may be willing to start the year for the Colts with 2 years left on his contract whereas that would have been a non-starter in Atlanta.
It's amazing to me that these teams were falling all over themselves to publicly woo Watson. The Browns end up being forced to overpay in trade + contract because they pissed off their fan-friendly, serviceable starting QB, and they ended up being the league's punching bag as a result. And Falcons are forced to make a trade they didn't want. Although this move may end up being better for them in the long run.
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It was ugly and the product of years of bad decisions to get to this point, but I think ripping the bandaid off now was smart. None of the options (restructuring again, trading Ryan and incurring the $40 MM dead hit, playing him on the $49 MM cap figure, or extending him into his 40s) were good, and IMO they took the best of a bad series of options.
Seattle 100% does not think they are in a rebuild. I bet one of those guys ends up there (likely whoever is cheaper).
The NFL has moved teams from one conference to the other in the past (Steelers, Browns, Colts, Seahawks come to mind), any chance they move the Patriots to the NFC, asking for a friend.
As it stands right now, there are 12 teams in the conference at or above their level, that's insane.
Remember the good old days when we had to worry about one, maybe two other teams; that ship has sailed.
Matty Ice absolutely should have stuck it to ATL on the way out. Best player in franchise history, 14 year run. Always played. Never said a bad word about the owner, coaches or teammates. Ton of charity work in area, and at the end, they openly pine for a guy like Watson, while Ice is still on the roster and assumed to be finishing his career there.
Ice will be fine next year. He will hand the ball 25 times per game to Fred Taylor and make a bunch of conservative 3rd and 4 throws to the tight end for 7 yards. A few times per game he will do play action on 1st or 2nd down and hit Pittman for a big play. He wont end up on his back like he did the last half a decade with Atl. He will be the caretaker with instructions to just not mess it up. Lot of stat liens like 15-21, 185, 1 or 2 td.
Ice will be fine next year. He will hand the ball 25 times per game to Fred Taylor and make a bunch of conservative 3rd and 4 throws to the tight end for 7 yards. A few times per game he will do play action on 1st or 2nd down and hit Pittman for a big play. He wont end up on his back like he did the last half a decade with Atl. He will be the caretaker with instructions to just not mess it up. Lot of stat liens like 15-21, 185, 1 or 2 td.
Regardless of how good or bad Ryan is, does anyone think that the Falcons haven't downgraded or that the Colts haven't upgraded? Mariota is worse than Ryan. Ryan is better than Wentz or the empty space in the roster that was left after they traded Wentz.
Ryan is better than Wentz. But we are talking a current top 20-25 level QB to a top 14-18 QB...for me. And a guy who is older and may decline faster. It's an upgrade, but not a gamechanger, for me.
If it was up to me, Lock's competition would be a reverse auction of the remaining free agents and whoever makes the lowest bid gets the job. Yes, I'm advocating for tanking for one year.
Pete, I'm sure, won't be, so who knows what will happen.
Whatever the Atlanta over is this year, take the under. They were bound to take a hit at some point, and this is rip-off-the-bandaid time.
Kudos to E5 for dropping the funny in this thread.
Looks like they also upgrade several draft picks in addition to upgrading the QB spot. I'm curious how the money works out in the swaps, if they gain or lose salary cap space overall. Maybe I'll try to look it up later.
View: https://twitter.com/AndrewSiciliano/status/1505971182352306178
Niners are never trading with Seattle, so I think that's Baker's landing spot. They're used to moody QBs up there anyway.
Which I guess leaves Carolina for James G.
very nice q
WC - no way not with their owner
Philly maybe if they hit on their 3 ones they are young ex on the d-line
nyg no
north
det i really like this team after 2023 if they upgrade at coach
minn they are cursed
chi fields might be a bust owner is cheap
south
NO- they never fulley rebuild will be stuck in 500 hell
ATL maybe
car i ex a new coaching staff after 22 frontrunners for bryce young
west
rams no
arizona no
sea by then will have a new staff
sf lance is a ? mark
by 2024 in the NFC i like Philly and det maybe car as well
Seeing how loaded the AFC is really makes me appreciate 2001-2018 even more.
I highly doubt the AFC sees any one team dominate like that for a long, long time.
I highly doubt any one team will have the GOAT head coach and GOAT QB in their primes at the same time either.
I don’t think JG is leaving San Francisco. If the Niners were going to move Jimmy and spend the savings on other priorities, that needed to happen by now. I think they’ve decided they aren’t sure Lance is ready.
I think Carolina will outbid Seattle for Baker, but I don’t have a well-formed basis for that opinion — just a sense that Rhule is under a lot more pressure than Carroll to show results in 2022.
Ryan is better than Wentz, but Ryan probably won't play any better than Wentz did in 2021. I mean, Wentz finished the year throwing 27 TDs and only 7 INTs. He finished 13th in passer rating and ANY/A (for reference, Mac was 17th in ANY/A and Ryan was 18th). We all know there was some flukiness / fortune to Wentz' performance, but we can't assume the same for Ryan. Ryan is a better player, but I wouldn't project better performance / production.
Mary Kay Cabot thinks that if the Browns wind up cutting Baker, watch the Steelers
https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/03/22/steelers-baker-mayfield-free-agent-rumors-browns-deshaun-watson
https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/03/22/steelers-baker-mayfield-free-agent-rumors-browns-deshaun-watson
If they cut him have to think he'll have a lot of suitors. He legitimately good in 2020, last year he was bad, but considering he was hurt all year and that team was a mess someone should be taking a shot on him. I would guess the trade market is cold because he's in the last year of a deal, and everyone knows the Browns want to move him.