Here are the top trade destinations for Matt Ryan

By Chinmay Kulkarni

There are few quarterbacks in the league that generate extreme mediocrity as Matt Ryan. Since the Falcons appearance in SuperBowl LI, the Falcons, and Matt Ryan have consistently maintained average or slightly before average. The NFC South in contrast, has frankly been one of the better divisions over the past few years, with the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers battling for the division title.  

Yet, we’re about to see a material switch in the NFC South resulting from both Tom Brady and Drew Brees ”“ titans of the division over the past 5 years – retiring from NFL football entirely. Will this mean a severe regression into the bottom part of the league for the NFC South? Possible. But with a changing of the guard to other teams within the division, the Falcons are poised to make a clear run to the NFC title. They have two obvious choices in direction – keeping Ryan and making a run at the playoffs with a good offensive roster, or investing for the future ”“ sacrificing near-term success by trading Ryan and getting younger with the rest of the roster. Let’s look at some potential trade destinations for the Atlanta quarterback.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers would be the most obvious choice and the best fit for Ryan. Originally from Pennsylvania, this would essentially be a homecoming for the aging quarterback.

The Steelers clearly have the defensive firepower alone to contend with the best teams in the NFL. With more coaching reinforcements with Brian Flores joining the team, the defense won’t chance at skipping a beat from last season. However, the quarterback position is the missing piece for sustained success. With a Matt Ryan trade to the Steelers, a slightly younger pocket passer would be replacing a just-retired pocket passer in Big Ben.

Would it make sense for the Steelers from a future standpoint? Probably not. Ryan’s contract ends after the 2023 season, making him an unrestricted free agent. With the rest of the AFC North getting much better, along with the rest of the AFC, it might be worth tanking for a few seasons until a generational quarterback is available in the draft. Therefore, Matt Ryan seems like a very temporary solution counterintuitive to the Steelers long-term agenda that will likely not provide the return on investment.

Washington Commanders

I’m not going to lie, writing Washington Commanders for the first time felt really odd. For one, I really liked the Football Team name.

Regardless, Taylor Heinicke was always the short-term solution for a team that has whiffed on quarterback-heavy drafts. Though going toe-to-toe with Tom Brady in the playoffs last season, the Football team needs to think about a long-term solution in a generally easy NFC East.

Matt Ryan seems like another plug-and-chug option for their quarterback woes. In an improving NFC East, Ryan should be just enough to keep up with the Cowboys, with nowhere near the offensive weapons. While the Commanders are also a younger team, adding a quarterback doesn’t seem to be enough to win a playoff game. If they can somehow get a package deal of Calvin Ridley and Matt Ryan, that might be the catalyst to contend for the division title. However, in the present, the wide receiving group in Washington is not enough for even short term success.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos have been in the news most notably for their pursuit of Aaron Rodgers. If John Elway manages to swing-and-miss on that acquisition, Matt Ryan is a really good fall-back option. With a decently mobile quarterback who’s not afraid to throw downfield, the host of receiving threats on the Broncos may earn a place with the rest of the supercharged offenses in the AFC.

If needs to be noted what the Broncos would give up in this trade, likely a wide receiver if anything. If the Broncos can keep Noah Fant, Courtland Sutton, and Jerry Jeudy, they should be able to be competitive in most games. However, the bar seems to be set way too high in the AFC, especially in the AFC West. Though Ryan would be a great fit in the big play system of the Broncos, they should not be mortgaging their future for this near-term success that won’t win a division title.