Colts QB Matt Ryan hasn't thought about playing in 2023

Quarterback Matt Ryan is currently focusing mostly on closing out a campaign both he and the Indianapolis Colts likely would prefer to forget. 

"I don’t think so," Ryan responded when asked during his Tuesday news conference if he's thought about playing next season, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "I’ve always tried to handle the day that is in front of you, and particularly during the season. It’s one of those things that after the season certainly, as you get older, those are always discussions that you have to have, and you go through. But during the year, you try and make sure Wednesday is the best Wednesday it can be. … I don’t go much further than that." 

Ryan, named Most Valuable Player for the 2016 season, has endured a year unlike any other during his career. The Atlanta Falcons traded him to the Colts this past March before he turned 37 years old, and he was later benched this fall. 

Ryan then watched as Indianapolis team owner Jim Irsay fired head coach Frank Reich, and the signal-caller was eventually reinstated as the club's QB1 by interim head coach Jeff Saturday. 

Per ESPN stats, Ryan heads into Week 15 29th among eligible quarterbacks with an 84.0 passer rating and 25th with a 44.9 total QBR this season. 

He's thrown a league-worst 13 interceptions and also 13 touchdown passes in 11 games, and Statmuse shows he's fumbled a league-high 14 times. Ryan lost five of those fumbles. 

The 4-8-1 Colts play at the 10-3 Minnesota Vikings this Saturday. 

Back in October, Nat Newell of the Indianapolis Star explained that the Colts could save roughly $17M under the salary cap by releasing Ryan after the season. 

It's unclear if there will be any market for Ryan as even a bridge option when the new league year opens in March 2023. 

Perhaps a team that loses a starter to injury could view the veteran as a temporary fill-in, or maybe he'll decide the time is right to ride off into the sunset of retirement.