Getty Image / Stephen Maturen
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan had a brutal 2022 campaign. He threw for 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and the Colts only won 4 games (4-12-1).
Indy has the veteran Matt Ryan under contract for one more season but it’s likely they cut him. He won’t receive his full 2023 salary but he’ll still get paid millions and millions should he stick around.
Matty Ice has been in the league for 15 years and will dubiously be forever known as almost winning a Super Bowl against Tom Brady before blowing a 28-3 lead, a scoreline that has become infamous in professional sports. Now, the rumor mill surrounding Matty Ice is heating up regarding his future.
Andrew Marchand of the New York Post recently published a column about ‘booth shakeups‘ across professional sports. He says that Matt “is very interested in a career in broadcasting.”
Marchand then went on to list potential hurdles to Matt Ryan’s success in the booth, should he choose to pursue that as the next chapter of life:
He almost won a Super Bowl with the Falcons and has had a nice career, but would have to prove it in the booth to one day be a No. 1 analyst. Tom Brady and Tony Romo, who had stature as a former Cowboy, were able to land jobs in a top network booth without ever putting on a headset.
With the big money available in the booth, any future top analyst openings would spark a competition with current Fox No. 1 Greg Olsen, Sean McVay and Mike Tomlin (if he ever left the sideline) all potentially part of the mix.
Others like Richard Deitsch have been calling for Ryan in the booth for years:
IMO: Matt Ryan has a career in broadcasting if he wants it after playing. Poised. Smart. Very impressive today.
— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) January 4, 2015
PFT‘s Mike Florio also picked up these rumors swirling Ryan. Writing that Matt would lose $12 million in guaranteed salary this season should he retire.
Florio says the Colts will cut Matt Ryan “before March 17” when he’s set to earn a $10M roster bonus in addition to $7.205 million more of his contract becomes guaranteed. The caveat with regard to broadcasting is the ‘offset obligation’.
Matt Ryan could seek to play backup QB somewhere in the league to recoup the $12 million on his contract that he’s set to (actually) get paid. Florio says “the Colts (if willing to get their hands dirty) could make a stink over his failure to try to find other football work, as a veteran backup for compensation close to the $12 million he’s owed.”
What is next for veteran QB Matt Ryan?
Only Matt Ryan and maybe his inner circle know what is next for him. He has already earned $291,713,631 throughout his NFL career. Financially, he’s doing great.
Broadcasting is a natural next step for him. He knows the game of football better than most. But the public hasn’t had a glimpse into Matt Ryan’s on-camera presence and it would be hard for CBS or FOX to throw an 8-figure/year contract at him without some proof of concept.