While fans of Tony Gonzalez were certainly wishing for a trade at the deadline, Matt Ryan is thankful his top offensive target is still with the team. Rumors were running wild that the future Hall of Famer would be traded away from the Atlanta Falcons in favor of a team that was poised to make a run at the Super Bowl, but a deal was never made and Gonzalez is poised to finish his career with a team that will be luck to win four more games this season.
"I didn't really anticipate anything happening, so I don't know how to comment on something that didn't go down. I'm happy he's here," Ryan said, via ESPN.com. "And I've been happy he's been here for five years. He's one of my favor teammates, all-time favorite guys to be around, and certainly one of the best players on our team."
Naturally Ryan was thrilled the Falcons did not seek out a deal for Gonzalez. It was anticipated that the team would look to stock up on draft picks since they are risking being mathematically eliminated from the playoff race with home New Orleans and Carolina are currently playing. The loss of Gonzalez plus the loss of Julio Jones would have all-but killed the Falcons offense. The team could not afford to lose the tight end.
A trade of Gonzalez would have symbolized the Falcons throwing in the towel on the season. It would have been accepting defeat and letting Gonzalez take one more shot at the Super Bowl like he had intended when he opted out of retirement. Ryan was never concerned, trust the front office to make the right choices.
"I don't think anybody thinks about that or worries about that," Ryan said. "I think guys know that we've got enough to get it done in here, and we just haven't done that. We haven't played well. And that, as a player, I think is the only thing you can worry about."
Thomas Dimitroff never once considered letting Gonzalez leave, expressing full confidence in the roster in place. He believes he owed it to fans to keep all of the players instead of making moves for the future. He knew trading Gonzalez for another wide receiver to replace Jones would have put the team even further behind, noting that it would have taken too long to get another player up to speed in time.
"We are confident in our roster and our football team," Dimitroff said, via the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "We are all aware that we have not gotten the results that we want so far, but I believe in our coaches and players."