Falcons HC Arthur Smith, Matt Ryan have differing views on his departure

After the Atlanta Falcons failed attempt at acquiring Deshaun Watson and the subsequent trade of Matt Ryan, there were a lot of unknowns about whether or not Matt Ryan could have still been with the team if they never pursued Watson.

Matt Ryan initially cleared it up by saying he felt he would likely still be with the team but then Arthur Smith made a contradicting statement that leaves everyone wondering what the truth really is.

The Falcons moved Matt Ryan, but who wanted the trade first?

Initially, the belief among everyone was that the pursuit of Deshaun Watson made Matt Ryan feel like he needed to move on to another team, giving the Falcons no option but to trade him.

Matt Ryan confirmed that was the case during an interview on Ryen Russillo’s podcast.

"“It’s more than likely I probably would’ve still been there had circumstances been different. But I’m excited with where I’m at. I kind of got filled into the loop that they were going to look into Deshaun Watson, And then at that point, I said, OK, I understand. But I also need to look into what I need to look into. And if this doesn’t go down, find out if this is probably still the best fit for me.”"

At least that was the case until Arthur Smith told Albert Breer, of Sports Illustrated, the following:

"“It wasn’t tough, because it had nothing to do with the respect I have for him, we’d moved on. He had a great career, and I’ll always be appreciative of it, very thankful I got to work with him. But we moved on, and that’s the nature of the game. Professionally, you have to separate that from your personal relationships and do what’s best for the team and organization. And that’s what we did.”"

So, this leaves everyone else wondering what the truth really is? Does Matt Ryan have the wrong impression or is Arthur Smith just saying what he needs to say at this point in time?

Everything seems to point toward Arthur Smith just having to say what he said, now that Ryan is no longer part of the team. The Falcons would not want the media to believe that a failed pursuit of another player led to the departure of their best player in franchise history.

No one can fault either side for what they said, Ryan is just stating what he believes, while Arthur Smith is saying what he needs to say.

We may never know the whole truth behind this but it really does not matter too much, Matt Ryan has moved on, the Falcons have moved on, and everyone else should move on as well.