Matt Ryan officially ends a prodigious career, now awaits his Hall of Fame fate (2024)

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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — On Monday afternoon as Matt Ryan announced his retirement from the NFL, he remembered in impressive detail his first pass in a professional game — a 62-yard touchdown to Michael Jenkins on Sept. 7, 2008.

The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback had asked offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for an easy completion on his first attempt.

“I think we called it ‘Zero Strong 62 Comet Sink,’” Ryan said.

Mularkey expected the Detroit Lions to play a Cover 6 zone and his rookie quarterback to throw a short pass to the flat.

“Mike said, ‘The only other thing they play is this one thing where they roll the safety down, and it’ll be single high, and if so just throw the skinny post,’” Ryan said. “So I’m up there, it’s the third play of the game, and I get under center, and I’m like, ‘Please give me Cover 6 so I can throw this flat route as fast as I can.’ Sure enough, the safeties start rolling pre-snap, and I’m like, ‘Holy s—, I’ve got to throw this post. I’ve got to let it rip.’ I don’t remember celebrating, but I’ve seen the clips of it. I was losing my mind. That was a really cool start.”

First NFL game.
First NFL pass.
First NFL touchdown.

What a debut it was for Matt Ryan with the @AtlantaFalcons! pic.twitter.com/LrqnBHqJps

— NFL UK & Ireland (@NFLUKIRE) October 6, 2021

It was a much better start than Ryan’s first practice pass. Jenkins remembered that one Monday, too. It came during a spring workout on the fields just yards from where the quarterback announced his retirement.

“He threw a duck,” said Jenkins, who played for the Falcons from 2004 to 2010. “All the receivers were like, ‘Man, we just took him third overall? Is this the guy?’”

It turns out he was. Ryan played 14 seasons for the Falcons, setting every significant franchise passing record by a wide margin and winning the 2016 MVP award. In a career that lasted 15 years, counting one finishing season with the Indianapolis Colts, he amassed more than 65,000 passing yards and a 128-115-1 record.

The No. 3 pick out of Boston College in 2008, Ryan joined an Atlanta franchise that was coming off a tumultuous 2007 season that included starting quarterback Michael Vick being indicted on federal and state charges related to a dog-fighting ring and head coach Bobby Petrino abruptly quitting after 13 games.

“He steadied this franchise,” said former Falcons center Todd McClure, who flew from his home in Louisiana to attend Monday’s announcement.

Ryan signed a one-day contract with Atlanta on Monday so he could officially retire as a Falcon.

“It was a team-friendly deal,” he quipped.

Atlanta… The Falcons… Football… Thank you!pic.twitter.com/wld8K9UlJv

— Matt Ryan (@M_Ryan02) April 22, 2024

In a 30-minute news conference, he thanked everyone from team owner Arthur Blank to former head coaches Mike Smith, Dan Quinn and Arthur Smith to the team’s training, equipment, media and community relations staffs, and his family.

“There was nobody in this organization that he did not touch in a positive way,” Blank said as he introduced the quarterback.

Ryan’s official retirement means he will be eligible for the Hall of Fame starting with the Class of 2029. He is seventh in NFL history in career regular-season passing yards (62,792) and ninth in passing touchdowns (381). A four-time Pro Bowler, he was the league MVP in 2016 after throwing for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns and recording a 117.1 passer rating, which remains the seventh-highest in league history.

Ryan said Monday he believes his resume is Hall of Fame worthy but acknowledged his induction is not a sure thing.

“I think my body of work is strong, and I think I did a lot of things the right way, but ultimately it’s not really my call,” he said. “I’ll say this, I’m really proud of the things I accomplished and we accomplished as a group. If you had told me at the age of 15 that this was the way it was going to shake out, I would have signed up for it.”

There is “no doubt” Ryan should be in the Hall of Fame, McClure said.

“You look at his numbers, No. 1,” McClure said. “I know this isn’t a criteria, but being the ultimate pro and just the way he handled his business, there’s no question to me that he’ll have a gold jacket in his closet at some point in the future.”

Ryan’s candidacy would have been stronger if Super Bowl LI had turned out differently. The Falcons led 28-3 before falling 34-28 to the New England Patriots in overtime. It’s a loss that still hurts, he acknowledged Monday.

“That’s always going to be a part of you,” he said. “Falling short of what you ultimately set out to do is tough, but that’s life. There are so many things in your life that are going to go that way. You have to pick up and move on.”

An intense competitor with 38 career 4th quarter comebacks 🗣️

Congrats on a great career @M_Ryan02! pic.twitter.com/BNrfKjlfvk

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) April 22, 2024

Ryan ultimately made 232 starts and six playoff appearances for the Falcons, missing only three games during his time in Atlanta. Along the way, he earned $306.2 million, fourth all time in the league behind only Aaron Rodgers ($343.5 million), Matthew Stafford ($328 million) and Tom Brady ($317.6 million), according to Over the Cap.

“The organization paid me a great contract and it was my responsibility to show up and earn it every week,” Ryan said. “I took that seriously.”

Ryan spent last season as an analyst for CBS, a role he plans to continue this season. He said he hasn’t had any discussions about joining the Falcons organization in any role in the future. One thing he’s sure of is Monday’s decision.

“I coach my boys’ flag football team and at the last practice this year, all these kids wanted to see if they could catch 60-yard passes, I’m like, ‘Oh, man, I don’t know,” Ryan said. “My arm was absolutely killing me the next day. To answer your question, no I don’t think I could show up and play today.”

(Photo: Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)

Josh Kendall , a Georgia native, has been following the Falcons since Jeff Van Note was the richly bearded face of the franchise. For 20 years before joining The Athletic NFL staff, he covered football in the SEC. He also covers golf for The Athletic. Follow Josh on Twitter @JoshTheAthletic