Former NFL MVP, Atlanta Falcons, and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan has officially announced his retirement at the age of 38.
Ryan played 15 seasons in the NFL, with the first 14 coming as a member of the Falcons.
The Falcons posted a video celebrating Ryan to their social media platforms on Monday afternoon, which can be seen below.
“Today, 16 years after being drafted, my childhood dream has officially come to an end. I’m honored to retire as a Falcon,” Ryan said. He then added, “You have no control in this profession in where you start. I am so lucky that my start and my finish was here in Atlanta.”
The Falcons selected Ryan with the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and in his 14 seasons in Atlanta he led the team to Super Bowl LI, won the 2016 NFL MVP, and was named to the Pro Bowl four times. Ryan is the Falcons’ all-time leading passer (59,795 yards) and all-time touchdown leader with 367 touchdown passes as a Falcon. He holds the top nine spots on the Falcons’ single-season passing yardage list and also holds nine of the top 11 spots for single-season touchdown passes. Additionally, Ryan won a franchise-record 120 games as the starting quarterback. The other four quarterbacks on Atlanta’s top 5 most-winning list combined for 150 wins.
Ryan’s time with the Falcons came to an end in March of 2022 when they traded him to the Indianapolis Colts. He played just one season for Indianapolis. His 62,792 yards are seventh-most in NFL history and his 381 career touchdown passes place him ninth all-time in NFL history.