The Indianapolis Colts had the cap space to sign more players to their roster, especially at quarterback.
After some uncertainty brought about by Carson Wentz‘s departure, they acquired Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a third-round pick.
It’s a good trade-off considering that the Colts will be getting a former league MVP and an accurate passer.
But while they didn’t lose much in getting Ryan, they must absorb his salary, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported.
As part of the deal to acquire new QB Matt Ryan, the #Colts picked up his $7.5M roster bonus and added guarantees to the entirety of his 2-year deal that has nearly $54M left overall, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 22, 2022
Rapoport shared, “As part of the deal to acquire new QB Matt Ryan, the #Colts picked up his $7.5M roster bonus and added guarantees to the entirety of his 2-year deal that has nearly $54M left overall, source said.”
The remaining money in his contract puts Ryan’s annual average value at $27 million which is a bargain compared to those of Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen.
However, it’s a move that gives them short-term stability while searching for their next franchise quarterback.
It also proves that the Colts are not afraid of spending if they think that the player can help them in the long term, like what they did with Wentz.
Taking A Huge Cap Casualty Off Their Books
Colts head coach Frank Reich thought that he could help resurrect Wentz’s once-promising career.
After all, he was the quarterback’s offensive coordinator when he was still with the Philadelphia Eagles.
That’s why they had no hesitation trading for him even if Wentz just signed a four-year, $128 million extension.
A year later, even Reich had to admit that the former South Dakota State standout was not the answer for the Colts.
Therefore, they traded him to the Washington Commanders for second and third-round picks in the 2022 draft, plus a conditional third-rounder in 2023.
Letting Wentz go opened the path for Ryan and his salary which is comparable to Wentz’s contract.
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