As Tom Brady continues to wow the football world at 40 years old, the Falcons believe their quarterback can similarly fend off Father Time.
And they’re willing to bet their money on it.
Extending the contract of Matt Ryan will be the team’s top priority this offseason, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Thursday.
Ryan, 32, is entering the final year of a five-year, $103.75 million deal. He is set to make a $19.25 million base salary in 2018.
While Ryan will turn 33 in May, neither Dimitroff nor coach Dan Quinn were concerned about a quarterback succession plan. In fact, Dimitroff believes there are parallels between Ryan and Brady that could keep Ryan under center into his 40s.
“Personally, that is my feeling,” Dimitroff said. “He’s a guy that takes care of his body both on and off the field properly. He’s good about his nutrition, his approach. He understands by learning from some of these guys who’ve played longer. We’re very fortunate with him. And of course, we’re fortunate with the rules set up in the league that are going to preserve our quarterback, hopefully. So again, we want him to be part of this organization for a long time.”
The NFL salary cap is projected between $174 and $178 million, a modest increase from the $167 million in 2017. The official numbers will be announced in March, but the Falcons likely will have roughly $18 million in cap space.
Dimitroff said the team will need to become creative. The Falcons are in the bottom one-third of the league in cap room, with key contributors such as kicker Matt Bryant, defensive tackle Dontari Poe and defensive end Adrian Clayborn becoming free agents.
“We’re in a good spot,” Dimitroff said. “We’re going to be able to be creative with things moving forward, with the focus on Matt and a couple other players that’ll be legitimate ticket contracts.”
Even so, the focus will remain on Ryan. His extension could lower his $21.65 million cap hit, spacing the money across several more seasons and giving the Falcons more immediate flexibility.
“That’s one that, interestingly enough, will help create flexibility,” Dimitroff said of a Ryan extension. “You’re always looking at market value and you’re looking at how the cap is going up, a lot of different things, of course,” Dimitroff said. “Reality is, when you’re the quarterback of Matt’s caliber, you’re going to set a certain tone for how teams are negotiating. It’s not going to be that difficult of a negotiation, honestly. We’re in a good spot with it. Again, we’ll have to be creative.”
The quarterback market Dimitroff mentioned may soon experience another jolt after the Lions and Raiders committed massive contracts to Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr, respectively, last offseason. Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins are both free agents. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is entering the last year of his contract.
The Falcons selected Ryan third overall in the 2008 NFL draft. He’s thrown for 41,796 yards and 260 touchdowns over his career. Ryan was named NFL MVP in 2016 after throwing for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
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