The Atlanta Falcons know Matt Ryan will be their quarterback for years to come. Matt Ryan knows the exact same thing. As the two parties begin negotiations on reaching a new contract extension, Ryan is not letting the talks worry him. Ryan could be destined to become the next $100 million quarterback, but right now the only thing he is worried about is preparing for the upcoming season.
Ryan is currently reaching the end of his six-year, $66 million rookie contract that he signed in 2008 after being drafted by the Falcons. General manager Thomas Dimitroff has said he hopes to finalize a contract extension with the quarterback before entering the 2013 season. The timetable is of no concern to Ryan, who said he understand the nature of the business and knows these things take time.
"At the same time, my focus has always been to just try to prepare myself to just play and let all the other stuff take care of itself. I'm not really too worried about it. My sole focus this offseason is to prepare myself, to work really hard and to try to give ourselves another chance like we had last year," Ryan said while attending the Matt Ryan Celebrity AM Classic at TPC Sugarloaf.
This offseason has already seen a number of quarterbacks sign large extensions. Joe Flacco became the game's highest-paid player after signing a $120.6 million deal after leading the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl victory.
Both Dimitroff and head coach Mike Smith have said that Ryan is not worried about the pending deal because everyone knows he is the future of the franchise and a new contract is just around the corner.
"From my point of view, we all know that Matt Ryan is going to be the quarterback for a long time in the Atlanta Falcons organization. He undoubtedly in my mind is an elite quarterback. He's played that way through his first five years," Smith said.
Ryan helped lead the Falcons to a 13-3 regular season record. They beat the Seattle Seahawks for the team's first postseason in five years Ryan has been quarterback. They eventually lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. Last season, Ryan threw for 4,719 yards and 32 touchdowns while also throwing six postseason touchdowns. Ryan also took time to make it known he has no plans to leave Atlanta for years to come.
"I want to be here in Atlanta. I love this place. I love the organization and I'm sure it will take care of itself."
