Soon enough, Matt Ryan will put pen to paper on a contract extension making the quarterback part of the Atlanta Falcons for the long-term. The two sides have ramped up negotiations with the goal of getting a deal done prior to training camp beginning. The question is just how much is Ryan worth compared to other quarterback extensions this offseason. Does he deserve more than Tony Romo, but less than Matthew Stafford? According to reports, he deserves more than Joe Flacco.
Yahoo! Sports' Jason Cole reports that Ryan's contract extension is expected to be bigger than Flacco's deal but not as large as the new Aaron Rodgers contract. Cole has been told by two different sources that Ryan will earn slightly more than Flacco per season.
Flacco was one of the first quarterbacks to sign an extension this offseason. He received a six-year, $120 million contract, averaging about to almost $20 million per season. Rodgers signed a deal worth $22 million per year. The Falcons appear more comfortable giving Ryan at least $21 million in a range of five to six years.
Team officials say that they are not concerned with the quarterback market when looking at how much Ryan is worth. Deals given to Stafford or Romo will in no way affect Ryan's deal. However, as the salary cap increases, it becomes harder to determine how much to pay a franchise player. Time is certainly of the essence as the Falcons want to avoid the problem Baltimore suffered after not getting Flacco signed to a deal a year earlier when they were forced to pay Flacco more than they could. If Ryan's deal gets done this offseason, he will emerge with the better contract.
General manager Thomas Dimitroff is confident a deal will get done prior to the season beginning, but if for some reason things stall out, Ryan will have the leverage in negotiations. If Ryan can fulfill the Falcons expectations of another Super Bowl run, he will be in the driver's seat for a long-term deal. Ryan's resume speaks for a blockbuster deal.
Ryan is not concerned with the contract negotiations. The quarterback is confident that he will be in Atlanta for many years to come and the business side will work itself out. According to Ryan's agent, Tom Condon, there are no indications that a deal will not be completed.
