Matt Ryan restructures contract to give Falcons cap relief

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

QB Matt Ryan restructures contract to give Falcons salary cap relief

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 3/16/21

The biggest thing linking veteran quarterback Matt Ryan with the Atlanta Falcons through the completion of the 2022 NFL season may now be math.

As Zach Klein of Atlanta television station WSB reported, the Falcons have restructured Ryan's contract to acquire some needed salary-cap relief as the cap is set to decrease by $15.7 million because of revenue lost during the season held amid the COVID-19 pandemic:

Per NFL League source the Falcons have restructured Matt Ryan's contract..
Was due $23 million... took 21-million and made it guaranteed bonus that spreads out over the next 3-years-

Cap # is now 26.9 million - It was $40.9 million pic.twitter.com/u4NS4XwABY
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) March 16, 2021

yup... $40-million in dead money if they cut him next year
— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) March 16, 2021

Per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, the Falcons would be on the hook for a dead cap hit of over $40.5 million if they trade or cut the 35-year-old next offseason without a post-June 1 designation.

Assuming all 32 teams will be permitted to fill stadiums to capacities throughout the fall, the salary cap will increase for 2022, but not so much that the Falcons would be willing to take such a major hit that would come with parting ways with Ryan ahead of next year's draft. As three different CBS Sports analysts predicted in their latest mock drafts, it's now more likely than ever Atlanta will use the fourth pick of this year's draft on a target or blocker for Ryan rather than the quarterback's eventual replacement.

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