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."
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.
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The Green Bay Packers offense was dealt a bit of a blow early in training camp. Friday, third-round rookie wide receiver Savion Williams was a spectator for practice after suffering a concussion. Williams, chosen by the Packers with the No. 87 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, is aiming to climb the depth chart at a crowded wide receiver position this summer. At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Williams ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.48 seconds during the NFL Combine and has the profile of potentially becoming a reliable possession receiver and after-the-catch weapon for quarterback Jordan Love and the Packers’ offense. Reaching those benchmarks and climbing the depth chart will have to wait, though, as Williams works his way through the concussion protocol and back onto the field for practices during training camp and the preseason this summer.
The Yankees didn’t make a flashy move Friday. They made a smart one. By acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Rockies, they sent a message: it’s time to start protecting their most expensive assets. That starts with providing Max Fried with the defense he deserves. Why This Trade Starts With Fried New York spent $218 million this winter on a groundball artist. Fried has done his job, generating weak contact and keeping the ball on the dirt. But the defense behind him hasn’t held up its end. The Yankees have committed 52 errors this season, tied for 9th in the American League. In Fried’s 21 starts alone, the team has committed 15 errors, including two by Fried himself. That’s the most defensive miscues behind any Yankees pitcher this season. Games that should’ve been shut down have been extended. Outs that should’ve ended innings have turned into rallies. For a team built around starting pitching, the leaks have been costly. What McMahon Brings McMahon isn’t coming in to carry the offense. He’s here to clean things up. The 29-year-old has made over 90 starts at third base this year and ranks among the league’s best in Defensive Runs Saved since 2021 (17 DRS). He brings steady hands, quick reads, and the kind of routine-play consistency the Yankees have been missing on the left side. Offensively, McMahon isn’t a star (.217/.314/.403, 16 HR), but his lefty bat offers a little juice. There may be more there, especially at Yankee Stadium, where that short porch has saved more than a few lefty swings. Help at Shortstop McMahon has played all over the field in the past—but never shortstop. Rockies broadcaster and former teammate Ryan Spilborghs floated the idea that McMahon’s presence could help Anthony Volpe settle back into form. But the Yankees will still need to carry a true backup shortstop on the roster. Bottom Line With the season tightening and the margin for error disappearing, the Yankees are making sure their most important investments, like Fried, aren’t left hanging. McMahon may not be the star of this deadline. But if he helps prevent a few more innings from unraveling, he’ll be worth every bit of the trade.
The Seattle Storm are looking to make things right after Tuesday’s 87-63 blowout loss to Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings. They get a chance to do so on Thursday when they return to action against the Chicago Sky in a road game at Wintrust Arena. The Storm got a big boost ahead of the Sky matchup, which comes in the form of seven-time All-Star Skylar Diggins returning to action after a one-game absence. After registering the first triple-double in WNBA All-Star Game history on Saturday, Diggins was unable to suit up against Dallas on Tuesday due to personal reasons. The 5-foot-9 guard was not listed on Seattle’s injury report for the Sky game, though, which means that Diggins should be back in the starting lineup come Thursday. This is a crucial development for the Storm, who will be looking to improve on their 14-10 record. In 23 games played this season, Diggins has produced averages of 17.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 triples per game. Chicago Sky List Angel Reese as Questionable to Play Against the Seattle Storm While the Storm got some good news ahead of Thursday’s clash, the same cannot be said for the Sky. This is after two-time All-Star forward Angel Reese was added to the injury report with a back problem. The silver lining is that Reese, who missed Chicago’s last game before the All-Star break with a leg injury, is listed as questionable to play, which means that there’s still a chance that she’s able to suit up against Seattle. Reese looked fine on Tuesday as Chicago suffered a 91-68 blowout loss to the Minnesota Lynx, posting an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double. It is unclear exactly when Reese sustained the injury, but it has now placed her status against Seattle in jeopardy. It is worth noting that Michaela Onyenwere (knee) and Ariel Atkins (leg) have also been ruled out for the Storm game, as they continue to recover from respective injuries. This only means that Chicago will be significantly shorthanded on Thursday, especially if Reese also ends up sitting out.
The New York Knicks are a team that has been thrown around in trade rumors all offseason long. The Knicks were eliminated in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers and are looking for any way imaginable to get back in the thick of things for next season's playoff run. Sporting News analyst Tyler Rourke suggested a trade that would send Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns to the Golden State Warriors for Jimmy Butler and Quinten Post. "Towns could be holding Jalen Brunson and the rest of the roster back with his high volume of shots, which is why the front office may be willing to deal him to another team — despite just landing him ahead of the 2024-25 season," Rourke wrote. "If that is the case, the Golden State Warriors would be the perfect option, and all it would take is his former teammate, Jimmy Butler and Quinten Post." "The Knicks have built a tough defensive identity with players like Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson. Adding Butler to that group would solidify the best defensive unit in the league." "While Post doesn’t have the name value as Towns, he does have the ability to stretch the floor as a big man and will require less usage." The Knicks have uncertainty with Towns coming up in the final three years of his deal, so getting him out in favor of Butler would give the team more flexibility down the line. That being said, Towns can still be one of the best players in the NBA, especially at the center position. The Knicks made a big trade for Towns less than a year ago, so dealing him would not be something that the team should take lightly.
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