INDIANAPOLIS — As former quarterback Matt Ryan is preparing for his new role as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports, he did not hold back his thoughts reflecting on his tenure with the Indianapolis Colts.
After spending 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Ryan was “surprisingly” traded to the Colts for a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“Things kind of escalated quickly within one week, and the entire dynamic changed,” Ryan said in an interview with The Athletic. “That part was hard, there’s no doubt about it, because for 14 years, every morning I woke up, I knew exactly what was expected of me. When that changes, that part was difficult, but you get thrust in through a new situation so quickly.”
Things didn’t get better for the 38-year-old player. Ryan was benched for the first time in his career midway through the season after injuring his shoulder against the Tennessee Titans in week seven. Former head coach Frank Reich stated that he would start Sam Ehlinger for the remainder of the season.
Two weeks later, the organization fired Reich and hired inexperienced Jeff Saturday as the new head coach.
“It was a s— show of 18 months, basically is the best way to describe it,” Ryan said. “But I think everybody in our family handled it well and came out of it stronger and in a really good spot.”
Saturday announced that Ryan would return as the team starter against the Las Vegas Raiders. Ryan threw the winning touchdown to walk away with a 25-20 victory. However, in a game against the Minnesota Vikings in week 15, the Colts stormed out to a 33-0 lead at halftime before a historic collapse, allowing the Vikings to make the largest comeback in NFL history.
Ryan was benched again.
In his only season with Indianapolis, Ryan threw for 3,057 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 12 games while being sacked 38 times on 287 yards. The Colts finished the regular season 4-12-1.
Ryan also stated that he is staying in shape and keeping the door open for an NFL return in the future. Ryan’s first game with CBS Sports will be the week one matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Minnesota Vikings. He will work with play-by-play announcer Andrew Catalon and analyst Tiki Barber.
According to CBS Sports, the trio will also call Baltimore-Cincinnati for week two and Washington-Buffalo for week three.
