Matt Ryan may be the face of the Atlanta Falcons, but owner Arthur Blank is seeking a contract that would be just as advantageous to his team as his star quarterback.
Ryan is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2018 season and is owed $19.25 million in base salary for the final year of his existing contract.
Although a number of quarterbacks are headed toward record paydays, Blank is hoping Ryan agrees to a contract that will allow the Falcons to be a sustainable contender for the foreseeable future.
"I don't care about the other quarterbacks' movement," Blank told D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "What I care about is taking care of our quarterback in a way that's respectful to him and in a way that is respectful to the franchise."
Ryan won NFL MVP honors in 2016 and steered the Falcons to Super Bowl LI, ultimately losing to the New England Patriots in overtime.
"We want to treat Matt well," Blank said. "He's been a great quarterback for us for 10 years. Hopefully, he'll play another (10). … He thinks he's Tom Brady, and maybe he'll play to 44. Maybe we are at the midpoint of his career.
"I'm excited that he wants to play longer. But we also have to balance it out and make sure we have enough salary to keep the other critical parts on the team around. You don't win with one player. It's not like golf. It's the ultimate team sport, and you've got to have other pieces around him."
The Falcons have ample time to reach a new contract but it'll be compelling to see whether Ryan agrees with Blank's vantage point.
