Matt Ryan hasn't played in the NFL since 2022, but what if the ex-Atlanta Falcons' star pursued an NFL comeback? It's certainly worth considering, as after the Colts lost Daniel Jones for the season, it was reported that Indianapolis called up Phillip Rivers, who's seemingly nearing an NFL comeback .
But here's the real kicker, Rivers is nearly four years older than Ryan, as the news dropped on his 44th birthday. Meanwhile, the former NFL MVP is only 40 and played for the Colts two years after Rivers did, but was he so bad in his lone season away from Atlanta that they decided to call Rivers instead?
That is a realistic possibility, as Matty Ice displayed sone serious signs of age back in 2022. But the more likely scenario is that they called the eight-time Pro Bowler instead because Chris Ballard knew he was more likely to entertain the offer and genuinely consider returning to the gridiron at his age.
Colts' decision to pursue Phillip Rivers over Matt Ryan has Falcons fans in an outrage
Frankly, at this stage of his career, Ryan has no reason to make a comeback. He's got a nice job working as a panelist on The NFL Today, where his football IQ and sheer knowledge of the QB position made him the perfect candidate to pursue a career in sports media after his retirement.
Moreover, there's no reason that a player of his caliber would tarnish his legacy. He's one of the best players in Falcons franchise history and a stint in blue in white nearly tainted his reputation once, so doing so again would see the career of a highly-regarded QB come with a permanent asterisk.
In 12 starts as a Colt back in 2022, Ryan threw for 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, which is a far cry from Rivers, who led Indianapolis to the playoffs back in 2020. And it makes sense why he's considering it, as he almost came back to sign with the 49ers in 2023 had they made the Super Bowl.
Instead, that never happened as the Niners lost to the Eagles as their entire quarterback room got hurt, but it opened an interesting what-if. While the Dirty Birds' fan favorite has never truly considered a return to the gridiron, the ex-Chargers star has been waiting for his shot for nearly two years now.
With the Colts forced to turn to sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard with Jones sidelined, both Ryan or Rivers would have provided some strong veteran mentorship—but one option looks far more likely than the other.