Former Colts QB Matt Ryan becomes CBS analyst, says he's not retired yet
INDIANAPOLIS — Matt Ryan still wants to play football.
But the former Falcons and Colts quarterback is going to open next season on camera, rather than a sideline.
Ryan announced Monday that he’ll be working for CBS this season, and the network said in a release that Ryan will be working in-studio and as an analyst for some games, even though the soon-to-be 38-year-old stopped short of declaring his retirement as a player in his tweet announcing the move.
“Excited to join the NFL on CBS family!” Ryan tweeted on Monday. “Looking forward to breaking down the game this season. P.S. — this is not a retirement post.”
Ryan ended the last sentence with a winking emoji, leaving his intentions about the end of his playing career uncertain.
When the Colts traded a third-round pick for Ryan last offseason, the team's initial plan was to make him the starter for at least two seasons, and despite the disastrous results that led to Ryan's shoulder injury and benching, Frank Reich's firing and then Ryan ultimately being benched again, the veteran quarterback still did not want to rule out the possibility of playing again at the end of the season.
"I still love playing,” Ryan said. “Obviously, I’m not committed to anything here, wherever. I’ve got to see how it shakes out. But I still love playing. Honestly, I still feel like there’s a lot of good football left in my body."
If Ryan's ever going to get a chance to prove himself right, the Falcons legend would need to be in a much better situation than the one he had in Indianapolis.
The Ryan-Colts marriage was predicated on Indianapolis providing the aging quarterback with solid pass protection and an excellent running game, two support pieces he hadn't been given by the Falcons in his final couple of seasons in Atlanta.
The Indianapolis offensive line failed to live up to that end of the bargain. Ryan was sacked 38 times in 12 starts, suffered a Grade 2 shoulder separation and played with a running game that finished 23rd in the NFL.
“We did not hold up our end of the bargain,” Reich told Ryan when the Colts benched him the first time, a decision sparked by team owner Jim Irsay. “I mean, you came here, and we promised you one of the top NFL rushing games, and we promised you great protection, and we haven’t really as an offense delivered on that."
Ryan, in turn, wasn't able to overcome any of those limitations. Overwhelmed by the pressure, Ryan threw 13 interceptions, fumbled 15 times and lost five of those fumbles, turning the ball over more than he'd ever had in the NFL, while simultaneously averaging just 6.6 yards per attempt because of an inability to throw the ball downfield.
Ryan completed 67 percent of his passes for just 3,057 yards, 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his lone season in Indianapolis.
But he's the best player in the history of the Falcons, ranking seventh in NFL history in career passing yards, ninth in touchdown passes and 12th in completion percentage, and Ryan's a student of the game who knows that injury often creates an opening at quarterback for a playoff-contending team near the end of the season.
While he's waiting for that opportunity, Ryan will be working as an analyst on CBS, a role he first handled in the playoffs this season. The quarterback and his wife, Sarah, welcomed their third son, Cal, in April.
“As one of the NFL’s marquee quarterbacks for the past 15 years, we’re thrilled to add Matt to our talented roster of NFL analysts,” CBS Sports executive Howard Bryant said in a release. “He has played the game at the highest level, including winning an MVP award and taking his team to the Super Bowl, and will bring a fresh perspective to CBS Sports. We look forward to Matt sharing his knowledge, insight and opinions with our viewers and bolstering our NFL coverage.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Former QB Matt Ryan becomes CBS analyst, says he's not retired
