Now that the Atlanta Falcons hired Matt Ryan to be their new president of football, it effectively closed the door on any potential return to the gridiron. The 40-year-old clearly isn't in any sort of playing shape anyways, but he's hoping to help this franchise return to the playoffs as an executive.
Earlier this season, Philip Rivers shock after five seasons of retirment, which saw questions surface about Ryan making a similar return. But during his introductory press conference for his new position, he revealed he has no interest in or planning an NFL return just like Rivers when the Colts needed him.
Ryan: I'm not trying to pull a Philip Rivers and come back and play. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) January 13, 2026
The former NFL MVP knows better than to try is hand at a return, which is why he has found other ways to stay involved. At first it was his role as a panelist with The NFL Today on CBS, but now he'll stay close by leading the Dirty Birds through their most important offseason in recent memory.
It's nice to know the chaos of the head coaching search hasn't impacted his willingness to crack jokes, but it's even better to know his focus remains in the front office, since fans are excited about what's to come.
Matt Ryan unsurprisingly closed the door on a potential NFL comeback
After Rivers returned (and struggled), the four-time Pro Bowler was vocal in his belief that he was happier not playing, and it's hard to blame him. He has no risk of getting injured, and if he remains retired, there's no risk of tarnishing his legacy as one of the greatest players in franchise history.
Another reason he has no reason to return is because he doesn't have much more to accomplish. He won an MVP and broke several franchise records—the only thing he doesn't have is that Super Bowl ring he came so close to. But even so, no team is that desperate to sign him over younger options.
Obviously, there's still risk of him losing fans if his job with the front office doesn't go according to plan, but that will never take away from what he accomplished on the field. Things are off to a good start, but this is before he's made any major decisions, so ask again when the new regime is in place.
However, Ryan's opening press conference went as well as it could've, as many of the questions fans harborered were finally answered. It's clear Blank trusts him to oversee the next era of Falcons' football, and it didn't take long to see why, since he's far more intelligent than he gets credit for.