Colts Officially Release Veteran QB Matt Ryan

The Indianapolis Colts announced on Wednesday that the team has officially released former veteran starting quarterback Matt Ryan:

The 37 year old completed 309 of 461 passes for 3,057 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions during 12 starts in 2022.

His sole season in Indianapolis was disappointing to say the least, as playing behind a struggling offensive line, Ryan looked surprisingly rattled and turnover prone, showing a much diminished arm, a lack of mobility, and rather poor decision-making at times.

The former NFL MVP had a highly decorated career with the Atlanta Falcons, but he’s now in the twilight of his playing days—and it was an easy decision for the Colts to cut ties and save $17.2M in salary cap savings, given how cooked he looked last year.

The Colts have to get younger and more dynamic at the starting quarterback position, and due a $35.2M cap hit in 2023, Ryan was way too expensive to serve as a veteran mentor backup to a top rookie quarterback in like a ‘Matt Hasselbeck role’ (2013-15).

That being said, Ryan was well regarded for his overall leadership and despite being benched twice, was a true professional throughout his short-lived tenure with the Colts. However, the writing has been on the wall regarding his future in Indianapolis for a while.

His cut today only confirmed it.

We’ll see if he latches on elsewhere in a backup quarterback role or decides to hang ‘em up and pursue an NFL broadcasting career.