The Atlanta Falcons agreed Monday to trade veteran quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts will send the Falcons a third-round draft pick in the swap.
36-year-old Ryan completed 67% of his throws for 3,968 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season. The four-time Pro Bowl selection is entering his 14th season.
The 2016 NFL MVP is the Falcons’ franchise leader with 59,735 passing yards and 367 passing touchdowns.
Ryan is signed through 2023 and due a $16.2 million base salary in 2022.
The Falcons have the No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
MARIOTA:
The Falcons agreed to a two-year contract with quarterback Marcus Mariota, who is familiar with coach Arthur Smith’s offensive scheme from their time together with the Tennessee Titans. Smith and Mariota worked together in multiple capacities in the five years they were together with the Titans, including Mariota’s six games as a starter during the 2019 season. That was Smith’s first year as the Titans’ offensive coordinator.
Mariota spent the past two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders and has dealt with numerous injuries, appearing in one game in 2020 and 10 games in 2021. The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner from Oregon and No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NFL draft initially signed a two-year, $17.6 million free-agent contract with $7.5 million guaranteed to be a change-of-pace quarterback behind Las Vegas starter Derek Carr.
