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Stephen Holder, ESPN
Veteran quarterback Matt Ryan, the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2016, is taking the next step in his career. But this phase will not be on the field.
Ryan, released by the Colts in March after one season in Indianapolis, has joined CBS Sports as an NFL analyst, the network said Monday. Ryan, who will turn 38 on Wednesday, will work as both a studio and game analyst across all CBS Sports platforms.
But Ryan, in a Twitter post announcing his new role, stopped short of saying he’s done playing. He punctuated his message with a disclaimer: “P.S. — this is not a retirement post.”
Excited to join the @NFLonCBS family! Looking forward to breaking down the game this season.
P.S. – this is not a retirement post 😉 pic.twitter.com/4fCTVpFxK0
— Matt Ryan (@M_Ryan02) May 15, 2023
Cutting Ryan cleared $17 million in cap space for the Colts. But $12 million of the remaining sum he is owed is connected to his 2023 base salary. Retirement could impact his right to those payments.
Ryan has played 15 seasons in the NFL and faces an uncertain future after a difficult 2022 campaign with the Colts. He was benched twice and was plagued by turnovers. Ryan’s 15 fumbles were a career high and the second-most in the NFL last season. He also threw 13 interceptions.
After the season, Ryan left the door open to playing again.
“I still love playing,” he said in February when asked about his future. “I’m obviously not committed to anything. Got to see how it shakes out. But I still love playing and still feel like, honestly, there’s a lot of good football [left].”
Ryan spent 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and holds most of the franchise’s key passing records. He is the team’s all-time leader in passing yards (59,735), touchdown passes (367) and completions (5,242). Ryan is also in the NFL’s top 10 in career passing yards (seventh, 62,792) and touchdown passes (ninth, 381).