Matt Ryan is finally getting paid. The Atlanta Falcons wanted to nail down their starting quarterback to an extension before the 2013 season began and they have achieved that goal. General manager Thomas Dimitroff had remained confident things would get done and he was right.
ESPN reports the Falcons have finalized a five-year contract extension worth $103 million. The money has been on trend from most quarterback contract extensions this offseason. Ryan will earn $59 million in guaranteed cash on a $20.75 million annual salary. He will take in $63 million over the first three years of the contract.
The new extension keeps Ryan as one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco kicked things off signing a deal worth $120.6 million over six years. Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning top out the list of the highest-paid players.
The 2013 season would have been the final year on Ryan's rookie contract after the team drafted him as the third overall pick in 2008. Last season, Ryan threw for 4,719 yards and 32 touchdowns. It was Ryan's best season of his career, helping lead the Falcons to their best regular season and a trip to the NFC Championship that saw the team falling just nine yards of the Super Bowl.
Ryan has developed into the face of the franchise and could be the one that brings the team a long-awaited Super Bowl. The NFL Network named him the 17th best player in the league. With wide receivers like Roddy White and Julio Hones, plus Tony Gonzalez returning and Stephen Jackson taking care of the backfield, Ryan could be poised for another year of success.
"As a quarterback, you love having guys around you," Ryan said. "I've said it for a long time, it's just my job to try and get the ball in their hands when they are in position to make a play. When you have guys on the outside who can do that, it's a lot of fun."
With Ryan's extension comes the Richard Seymour question. The Falcons have tried to sign the veteran to an extension multiple times this offseason to be the final piece of the pass-rush puzzle, but could not afford to do it until Ryan got a new contract extension. Seymour is still on the open market waiting for the right deal. Pairing the veteran as a rotational player could be productive for Atlanta. The Falcons have not come out and said if they are totally done signing players. It is very likely they will have one more round of negotiations with Seymour before the season begins.
