There is no player who is more important to the Atlanta Falcons than Matt Ryan. The fanbase still loves him, he remains active in the Atlanta community, and he's the last quarterback to lead the Dirty Birds to legitimate playoff success. And his imprint on the NFL world has only continued after retiring.
Since his retirement, Ryan has joined CBS Sports as a studio analyst and occasional commentator, putting his wealth of NFL knowledge to use. On Tuesday afternoon, the league announced their gameday crew for the Christmas Day doubleheader, and the Falcons' legend is one of the notable names.
In the opening game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders, Ryan will serve as a game analyst where he'll share the booth with both Ian Eagle and fellow game analyst Nate Burleson in our nation's capital. And an elite QB battle will make the 40-year-old's impact crystal clear,
Matt Ryan will be on commentary for one of the NFL's Christmas Day Games
Since retiring, working for CBS isn't the only way the ex-NFL MVP is passing the time. He has since started a podcast with ex-Rams superstar Aaron Donald and former Atlanta reporter Zach Klein, which has the trio discussing various interesting topics around the NFL world.
It's a pretty cool experience for fans to get to witness their franchise legend be the voice of the league on one of the most festive days of the year. Especially given he was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor last season, he's set the bar incredibly high early in Michael Penix Jr.'s career.
The four-time Pro Bowler has also served as a mentor to Penix throughout his first season as a starter, so the second-year quarterback's partially torn ACL that will end his season is heartbreaking to fans everywhere, but is even more gutting to Ryan.
There's a real chance that Jayden Daniels is back in the lineup for the Commanders by Week 17, but then again, there's no reason to rush the young QB back when it looks incredibly unlikely that Washington will have a shot at the playoffs.
Regardless, this game could be one of Dallas' final opportunities to clinch a playoff spot, so Falcons fans coule be in for a treat with their former fan favorite on the broadcast.