Colts acquired Matt Ryan from the Falcons for a 2022 third-round pick.
Ryan will captain a Colts team that went 9-8 in 2021 and was a shocking loss to the Jaguars away from making the playoffs. The Colts now have their fourth Week 1 quarterback since Andrew Luck retired. Entering his age-27 season, Ryan should play at a higher level than Jacoby Brissett and Carson Wentz did, but he could fall short of Philip Rivers' play Indianapolis. The Colts supporting cast is solid. They have an elite running game but a very thin group of pass-catchers behind Michael Pittman. Still, it's miles better than what Ryan is leaving behind in Atlanta, which has been stripped down to Kyle Pitts and spare parts. The Falcons are taking on a massive $40.5 million dead cap hit by trading Ryan, but it should allow them to pursue a true rebuild. The Falcons were immediately rumored to be interested in Marcus Mariota, but they will almost certainly select a quarterback within the next two drafts. Pitts should be downgraded slightly in drafts; target share can only do so much in dysfunctional offense. Pittman and Johnathan Taylor's 2022 outlooks look slightly more positive as a result of securing a competent signal-caller.
SOURCE: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
Mar 21, 2022, 1:48 PM ET