Reward or Revenge? QB Matt Ryan Wants 'Brand New 3-Year' Contract from Falcons - Report

The Atlanta Falcons would like to tell Matt Ryan that they are sorry. They'd probably like to say it with flowers. That probably won't be good enough.

The Atlanta Falcons stand accused of front-office bungling, all a result of their failed pursuit of Deshaun Watson.

We get the disappointment and the ire, though we're not quite sure what the critics wanted owner Arthur Blank and company to do.

Not woo Watson?

Not make a trade offer for him?

Not deal with incumbent "face of the franchise'' Matt Ryan by arranging for his 2022 offseason bonus deadline date to be moved?

And upon failing to secure hometown kid Watson (who opted to be dealt to Cleveland), not pivoting back to Ryan in an attempt to make something - stay here happy or work together on a trade - happen?

Atlanta publicly flirted with another quarterback - and unless one gets stuck on the morality of employing Watson, was right to do so. Watson is better than Ryan and a decade younger. Blank has spoken openly about a "plan of succession,'' and this - a decade-plus of Ryan including a Super Bowl and an MVP, replaced by a decade of Watson - was a hell of a vision.

It just didn't work. So, like a guy with two girlfriends who gets dumped by the second one and then has to beg his way back into good graces with the first, the Falcons must now work to pacify Matt Ryan.

And that's where the rumor of him wanting a new contract from them as an "apology'' comes in.

Longtime Houston radio host Lance Zierlein, who also serves as an NFL Draft scout for NFL Media, is noting some of the quarterbacks on the trade block. Zierlein noted that quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield, Jimmy Garoppolo and Ryan could be traded and all want new deals.

Each QB on trade block will look for new contract at new rates. Will teams give quality picks & big deals for:

Baker: Never even played on Cousins' level.
Matt Ryan: 36 & slow w/ less than 2:1 TD/INT ratio over last 3 yrs.
Jimmy: Surgery & underwhelming in QB-friendly offense

— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) March 19, 2022

A fan responded to tell Zierlein that Ryan is already on a reasonable contract, at which point the radio host sharpened his point, noting that he has heard Ryan wants a new three-year deal.

He wants a new contract. Heard from league sources his agent wants 3 years on a brand, new deal.

— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) March 19, 2022

The Falcons and Ryan have already wrestled around with some of his money; rather famously, he entered this offseason scheduled to play on the most bloated cap hit ($48 million) in NFL history. Oh, and that $7.5 million roster bonus, with the deadline moved? That's due Monday at 4 p.m.

More trade calls? More money? More years? More apologies?

The Atlanta Falcons would like to tell Matt Ryan that they are sorry. They'd probably like to say it with flowers. That probably won't be good enough.