The Indianapolis Colts didn’t find a lot of success with Matt Ryan behind center last season.
The former MVP looked far from his best in 2022, failing to extend plays inside the pocket, holding onto the football for way too long, and barely finding any sort of space to hit his receivers.
It became painfully evident that Ryan was no longer an NFL-caliber quarterback by Week 3, and he was even demoted to a reserve role at one point in the season.
So, with the Colts entering a new era with Shane Steichen as their head coach as they likely to pursue a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft, it would be shocking to see Ryan still in full pads next season.
Nonetheless, that shouldn’t be a concern for the former Atlanta Falcons standout.
According to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he’ll be entitled to a fully-guaranteed $12 million salary in 2023, regardless of if he’s cut, traded, or retired.
That’s part of a brilliant clause his agent included when the Colts traded for him last offseason, a master move to ensure the veteran would get another big pay day before calling it a career.
As part of the #Colts trade to acquire QB Matt Ryan, his agent negotiated a new contract that included a $12M guarantee in 2023 that was not in his previous contract. Ryan remains entitled to the $12M regardless of what he decides to do this season. Amazing.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2023
All things considered, Ryan has had a very decent run in the National Football League, so it’s not like he’s got anything left to prove.
He could decide to stay and run it back for another year as a veteran mentor, but he could just take the money and ride into the sunset with a pocket full of cash.
NEXT: The Colts Are Quickly Making Important Financial Moves
