By Tristan Henry — May 4, 2022 at 10:34 a.m.
Atlanta has played, lost, and will have to deal with Marcus Mariota.
It’s always tricky when you’re in a relationship to get caught making advances to someone else, with or without results. This is essentially what Matt Ryan, the new Colts quarterback, explained on Tuesday in Ryan Russillo’s podcast.
The 2016 MVP explained that at the start of the offseason, there was no indication that he would be leaving Georgia after 14 years of loyal service.
“At the start of free agency, they started looking into their options and I got word that they were courting Deshaun Watson. At that point, I was like, OK, I get it. But then I also have to look on my side. And if that doesn’t work out for them, see if being here is still the best thing for me.
Once the reflection opened, it appeared that a move was the best option. With only one destination in sight.
“As the week progressed and my research into what might be the best possible destination, or what might be best for my family and me, for me, one destination stood out. And in this situation, you don’t know if this team will also be interested in you. And for me, it was. They believe in me and what I can bring to the team. So on that side, I think everything went perfectly for me. »
Upon inquiring about Deshaun Watson, Falcons executives simply opened the door for Ryan. A door he probably wouldn’t have opened had it not been for these events.
“If none of this had happened?” It’s likely, it’s pretty likely,” Ryan said when asked if he would have stayed in Atlanta had it not been for Watson’s interest from its executives.
“I thought, like everyone else, when you’re drafted somewhere, you play somewhere, you’re going to stay there all your career. For 14 years, every day, I got up every day with the goal of helping the Falcons win a title. And they reciprocated me. When that changed, I had to think about it. »
It remains to be seen who won the breakup.