Falcons GM Says Trade Was More About Obliging Matt Ryan Than Compensation

Fontenot also said that Ryan didn’t have a no-trade clause.

Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot made a surprising admission on Wednesday regarding the trade the team made Monday that sent Matt Ryan to the Colts. The 41-year-old came clean that loyalty may have been more of a factor than initially thought. 

“It was more important for us to do right by Matt than try to maximize compensation,” he said, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. “Yes, we probably could have opened it up and talked to every team … gotten more compensation.” 

#Falcons GM Terry Fontenot on getting a third-round pick for Matt Ryan: "It was more important for us to do right by Matt than to try to maximize compensation. Yes, we probably could have opened it up and talked to every team and ... gotten more compensation."

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 23, 2022

Atlanta got back a third-round pick in the deal—a bargain for a starting quarterback like Ryan. During his introductory press conference to Indianapolis on Tuesday, Ryan said that he only planned to either stay with the Falcons or go to the Colts. There were no other options in his mind.  

It appears Fontenot and company wanted to oblige their longtime quarterback, who he said did not have a no-trade clause. Ryan, 36, threw for 3,968 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions after appearing in every game in 2021. 

He’ll have a couple more weapons at his disposal in Indianapolis and will look to bring the team back to the top of the AFC South. Meanwhile, the Falcons will carry a $40.5 million dead cap hit—the largest in NFL history. 

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