Falcons Ex Matt Ryan Says He Should Be in Hall of Fame: 'One Day!'

Former Atlanta Falcons star Matt Ryan believes he is worthy of a gold jacket.

With the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame class officially announced at Thursday night's NFL Honors, the conversation regarding the sport's greatest honor can now comfortably shift to who's next.

There are many deserving candidates still waiting on the call to Canton, and several who will be eligible in the coming years who seem like locks. Then there are those whose Hall of Fame status is more questionable, and former Atlanta Falcons star Matt Ryan seems to fall into that category.

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, Ryan led the Falcons offense proudly for 14 year and spent his final season (barring an unforeseen comeback) with the Indianapolis Colts. 

Throughout his 15-year career, the Boston College product threw for 62,792 yards, 381 touchdowns and 183 interceptions. Ryan was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and won MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 2016, when he led Atlanta to a Super Bowl LI appearance.

Ryan's stats are up there with some of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, but his lack of championship success, compounded by a historic collapse in his lone Super Bowl appearance, has created a debate over whether he deserves a gold jacket or not. 

For him, though, the answer to that question is a resounding yes.

"The consistency that I had for a long time and the production that we had in Atlanta, I think speaks to it," Ryan told Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. "I understand that championships, you know, go a long way at the quarterback position, but I think the numbers speak for themselves and the consistency speaks for itself. So, I hope that it's something that happens one day. I'm proud of what I've done as a player and, you know, we'll see what happens."

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Ryan, who spent the 2023 season as an analyst for CBS and hasn't officially announced his retirement, would be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2028, assuming he truly has played his last NFL snap.

Even if he's not a lock, Ryan will certainly have a case for Canton once that date finally rolls around.