Former Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan was content with his life as a panelist on The NFL Today on CBS, but when Arthur Blank came calling, he knew he had to pick up the phone. He's arguably the best player in franchise history and Falcons fans still look up to him as an inspiration.
When he accepted the job to be Atlanta's first-ever president of football, CBS was left picking up the pieces. They had to find his on-air replacement. and rumors were swirling for months beforehand. But the man who will be taking his chair was an obvious candidate but the move was just made official.
The man in question is another future Hall of Fame quarterback in Russell Wilson, who decided to forego continuing his playing career to take Matty Ice's spot on the desk. And for Falcons fans, seeing this should be bittersweet given the long history between Danger-Russ and the Dirty Birds.
Falcons killer Russell Wilson is taking Matt Ryan's seat on The NFL Today
Wilson was one of those signal-callers who diced up the Falcons during his prime. In five career regular season starts against Atlanta, he accrued a 4-1 record with a 114.7 passer rating and a staggering 10 touchdown passes to one interception. But it was the Falcons who got the last laugh.
Atlanta has a 2-0 record against Russ and the Seahawks in the playoffs, as they beat them in the Divisional Round in both 2012 and 2016. So while Ryan-led Falcons lost to the 49ers the next week in 2012 and we all know what happened in 2016, they still have an edge over him in games that matter.
In the former NFL MVP's defense, it'll be pretty electric seeing Ryan lead Atlanta into this new era of Falcons' football with Kevin Stefanski and Ian Cunningham. His presence in the facility has already made a major impact on the new regime, and he's definitely helping both players and fans buy into the new vision. His footbal IQ was clear on TV, but now we'll get to see his smarts in a different way.
Unfortunately, we won't get to see a fan favorite grace our TV screens on Sundays anymore, but as far as analysis goes, Wilson is as good as it gets to replace him. While he's a bit corny, he's well-spoken, smart, and clearly knows the game of football on a similar level to Ryan.
Venturing into analysis was always going to be the 37-year-old's career path once the playing opportunities dried up, but seeing him on air is a chance to show a different side of him to the Falcons fans who will miss Matt Ryan--even if he's better off in his front office role.
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