When Matt Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, he held the Atlanta Falcons’ franchise records for completion percentage, pass yardage, passing touchdowns and game-winning drives, as well as one of the team’s two Super Bowl appearances and his only He received the Most Valuable Player award. There was no question that Ryan would head to the Falcons Ring of Honor after his retirement.

Tonight, the Falcons make the introduction official, adding the most prolific passer in franchise history to the most respected inner circle of Atlanta greats. Ryan will join owner Arthur Blank, who was introduced earlier this year, as well as all-time greats such as Jessie Tuggle, Roddy White and Deion Sanders.

After the team selected him third overall in the 2008 NFL Draft and immediately installed him as a starter, Ryan’s Falcons posted five straight winning seasons during that span and secured four playoff berths, including a run to the NFC Conference Championship that year 2012. After two years of no success, Ryan and the team, Kyle Shanahan, came to town and revitalized the passing attack after a difficult 2015 with an MVP season in 2016, followed by a playoff year in 2017 and another great season in 2018.

Working alongside Falcons greats like Michael Turner and Roddy White and later Julio Jones early in his career, Ryan took this passing attack to heights we as fans had never seen, and we pray we see that soon with Kirk Cousins ​​​​and Michael Penix will experience. Underrated by fans and analysts for much of his career (at least until 2016), Ryan quietly shined, winning more games at the helm of the offense than any quarterback before him could have dreamed of. While the end of his career was disheartening and the lack of a Super Bowl win will likely always haunt him as it haunts us, there is no denying that regular season success, postseason success and franchise success Relevance that Ryan brought changed everything.

Ryan then lasted through the first year of the Arthur Smith era before the Falcons made the stupid decision to pursue a Deshaun Watson trade, which directly resulted in Ryan being shipped to the Colts. He finished a tough season there and then retired. When he hung up his cleats, he ranked 7th in NFL history in pass yards, 9th in touchdowns and 19th in passer rating, with the fourth-highest number of comebacks in the fourth quarter all time. It’s unclear whether Ryan will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but his place as a Falcons and NFL great is still fairly secure. The fact that he has been and remains active in the Atlanta community, dedicating time and money to supporting causes across the city as he embarks on his second career in broadcasting, is just another plus for Ryan.

Congratulations to Matt Ryan as he takes his deserved place alongside the Falcons greats of yesteryear and is likely to be more appreciated for that greatness with each passing year.