Matt Ryan joining CBS as NFL analyst, says he's not retired

After fourteen seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in 2022 for a third-round pick in that year's draft. His lone season with the Colts was a tough one, throwing nearly as many interceptions (13) as passing touchdowns (a career-low 14), had a career-high 14 fumbles (five lost) and posted numbers in other passing categories that were his lowest since his first rookie and second seasons in the NFL.

It's been a trend for several seasons where the league's broadcast partners may hire a player in the twilight of his career as an analyst even if he hasn't officially hung up the cleats. Fox Sports has successfully done this with Greg Olsen, who worked during bye weeks toward the end of his playing career before he became the network's lead analyst. 

Where Olsen was able to keep his seat in the booth warm while an active player, others were pulled back onto the field and never returned to TV. Olsen essentially took the place of former Broncos and Bears QB Jay Cutler, who worked preseason games with Fox Sports in 2017 before signing a one-year, $10M contract with the Miami Dolphins. 

And of course, there was the infamous Jason Witten debacle in 2018 where ESPN hired the newly retired former Cowboys tight end to call "Monday Night Football" games. His tenure was among the most poorly reviewed of any athlete in recent memory, and he un-retired to play two more seasons with the Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders. 

Ryan adds his name to a long list of athletes who have taken broadcast roles while hoping to get one last call to play the games that made them household names. While his chances to sign with a team as a starter are slim, it appears that Paramount (via CBS Sports) will give him plenty of opportunities to shine as on-air talent.