Now that Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith have been officially introduced as the Atlanta Falcons new GM and head coach, the next order of business will be the roster evaluation that also includes the veteran QB.
Matt Ryan turns 36-years-old in May, but there will still be some teams out there that would love to have him on their team. Holding the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the decision whether to move Ryan need to be made sooner rather than later.
Unfortunately, Atlanta won’t be able to trade Ryan until after June 1st, because if they do, it would cost more than $44 million in dead cap space. After the first, however, it would be less than an $18 million cap hit.
According to longtime Niners reporter, Grant Cohen, the 49ers are a possible fit for the veteran QB.
“So here’s what the 49ers can do. They can trade Jimmy Garoppolo back to the New England Patriots, draft the best offensive lineman available with their 2021 first-round pick, draft the best quarterback available with their 2021 second-round pick, and then in the summer trade their 2022 second-round pick to the Falcons for Ryan. And he would cost the 49ers $23 million in 2021 and $24 million in 2022. And then the young quarterback could take over as the starter in 2023.
And if the 49ers want to get their 2022 first-round pick back, they always can trade Deebo Samuel for a No. 1 after next season.”
This past season, Ryan tossed for 4,581 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but the Falcons finished the year 4-12.
