The Indianapolis Colts made the shocking move to trade for long-time Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan this offseason after things with former Colts quarterback Carson Wentz turned sour.
Wentz had an up and down year in 2021 but ultimately did not show up when he needed to, losing a Week 18 matchup against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars that the Colts needed to win to make the playoffs.
Numerous members of the Colts organization then made things uncomfortable for Wentz, with neither head coach Frank Reich nor general manager Chris Ballard giving him a vote of confidence when asked about his job security.
Perhaps the person who most put the blame on Wentz for how their season ended was Colts owner Jim Irsay. Irsay described the “Carson Wentz era” in Indianapolis as a mistake after he was traded to the Washington Commanders, as well as raising questions about the quarterback’s leadership capabilities.
Now, Matt Ryan will look to lead the Colts back to the playoffs next season with what appears to be a very talented roster, and Irsay seems to believe good things are ahead for both Ryan and his franchise.
“Oh man, I tell you it’s been great,” Irsay told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution when asked about Ryan. “It’s been really exciting having him in and his leadership.”
“The way that he’s like a coach in the field. It’s awesome,” Irsay added. “We’re really excited about Matt, and we feel he just turned 37. He’s excited about playing and excited about finishing his legacy over the next three, four, or five years or whatever it is.”
While Ryan does seemingly possess some leadership skills that Wentz hasn’t shown to this point, there are certainly some question marks surrounding him at this point of his career.
Ryan is 37 years old and has not made the playoffs with the Falcons since 2017. While the Colts are a much better team than the recent Falcons, it could be argued that Ryan may be over the hill as a quarterback. Even if he isn’t over the hill yet, age will catch up with any player at some point, and the Colts will hope that he can have a career revival in his new home next year.
[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
