The Atlanta Falcons ended an era on Monday, trading Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2022 third-round pick. The move ends Ryan’s 14-year stint with the franchise and means that Atlanta will have a new starting signal-caller in 2022.
After the trade was announced, Field Yates shared a rundown of the current quarterbacks on the Falcons roster and it struck a nerve with a lot of people around the NFL.
Atlanta’s QB room now:
Josh Rosen
Feleipe Franks— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 21, 2022
Per Yates, the Falcons currently have two quarterbacks available, Josh Rosen and Feleipe Franks. And that piece of knowledge appears to have shaken some people around the NFL to their core.
Oh. Oh no. https://t.co/y3e4dt7APS
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) March 21, 2022
In 2018, we would have been very excited about this. https://t.co/tbT30lmfGZ
— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) March 21, 2022
It appears Josh Rosen is allegedly still in the NFL https://t.co/C14qajSBdj
— 🎙Bauer – 🧵: @BauerOnTheMic (@BauerOnTheMic) March 21, 2022
Josh Rosen is a free agent but if Ryan got a third then Rosen is definitely worth at least a second https://t.co/qi4yLNASCU
— lindsey ok (@lindseyyok) March 21, 2022
Josh Rosen QB1 https://t.co/GZVPbW833j
— Troy King (@TKingMode) March 21, 2022
— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) March 21, 2022
Rosen was selected in the first round in 2018 by the Arizona Cardinals but a very rough rookie season led to him being traded to the Miami Dolphins. He was released a year later and has been a backup for the San Francisco 49ers and Falcons in the last two seasons. He did see a little playing time last season, appearing in four games, though he only attempted 11 passes and still threw two interceptions.
Franks signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent last May and was the No. 3 QB on the roster all season. His debut was memorable but for all the wrong reasons as his first NFL pass was intercepted to end a 25-0 loss to the New England Patriots.
Of course, the Falcons are almost certainly either going to look to trade or free agency to acquire another quarterback. Many have assumed that free-agent QB Marcus Mariota will be their first call. If for some reason that doesn’t come together, we know that Baker Mayfield wants out of Cleveland and the 49ers have Jimmy Garoppolo ready to go as well. And of course, the Falcons can also look to the upcoming NFL Draft to invest in a rookie for the future as well.
But for the time being, at least, things look a bit grim for Falcons fans as far as their quarterback situation is concerned.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.