Falcons push back Matt Ryan's roster bonus to wait for Deshaun Watson decision

The Atlanta Falcons' pursuit of Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is leaving the team in a tricky spot with longtime starter Matt Ryan. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Falcons pushed back the $7.5 million roster bonus in Ryan's contract from Friday to Tuesday to allow more time for Watson to make a decision.

Ryan, 36, had to agree to the tweak of his contract, but it increases the chances that he'll be traded by Atlanta in the coming days.

Earlier in March, Ryan reportedly agreed to a contract restructure that cleared $12 million in salary-cap space and lowered his nearly $49 million cap hit. But according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the new contract hasn't officially been signed yet while the Falcons continue to pursue Watson.

With the old contract still in place, Atlanta would get minimal savings by trading Ryan and still have to eat just over $40 million in dead money. However, the restructure would've caused a Ryan trade to be a costly endeavor that launches the total dead money to $55.5 million in 2022 and $27.6 million in 2023.

Now the Falcons have until Monday at 4 p.m. ET to avoid paying out the $7.5 million roster bonus to Ryan if the team does intend sending its 2008 first-round pick elsewhere.

Watson has reportedly narrowed his choices to the Falcons or the New Orleans Saints with the Carolina Panthers considered a long shot.