Matt Ryan Contract Talks Expected To Heat Up After July 4th

Jun 18, 2013; Flowery Branch, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) shown on the field during minicamp at the Falcons Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

In a recent post with Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio writes about the contract negotiations between quarterback Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. Apparently right now, the talks are just “casual” and a source says that they should heat up after July 4th. With Ryan’s contract not settled (he has one year left on his current deal), the team can’t make additions to the team like Richard Seymour.

Per Mike Florio:

"The Falcons surely hope to avoid being called “dumb” by Matt Ryan’s agents next year.  Of course, if being dumb means winning the Super Bowl, the Falcons would gladly wear the dunce cap.For now, the posture between Ryan and the team that made him the third overall pick in the 2008 draft is identical to last year’s contract standoff between the Ravens and Joe Flacco.  Ryan has a year left on his deal, both sides want to extend the contract, but an agreement has not been reached.For now, Ryan bears the risk of injury and ineffectiveness.  If Ryan makes it through 2013 unscathed, the Falcons will have to choose between giving him market value, using the non-exclusive franchise tag (which exposes him to being pilfered by another team in exchange for two first-round picks), or the exclusive version of the tag (which could cost nearly $20 million for 2014 and unlock a year-to-year formula that would put the Falcons well north of $70 million for three years)."

Obviously, Matt Ryan is a crucial piece to the team–without him no one would be talking about a Super Bowl in Atlanta.

It seems like a bit of a vicious circle in this situation. Obviously, the Falcons and Thomas Dimitroff want to invest in Matt Ryan. He’s an excellent quarterback and what the team should be built around. It’s a quarterback league and team’s would kill to have a guy like Ryan running the show. So you have to pay him or else he will get paid from someone else.

At the same time, however, you have to make sure you have enough dough to spread around and field a quality team. Ryan doesn’t come off as a dumb guy to me, so I’m guessing he gets this. If he’s intent on winning a championship, he will make sure the team has enough flexibility now to fill the “holes” they have. If he just wants the money however, the negotiations could be a bit more difficult.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens though, and it sounds like nothing much is going to happen until Independence Day is over and done with. Stay tuned for more updates and feel free to give us your thoughts on Ryan’s contract situation.