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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- To understand why the Atlanta Falcons became the story of the NFL draft last week by taking quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall, it's necessary to go back to the team's last franchise quarterback.
From 2008 to 2021, the Falcons could write in pen who would be starting under center: Matt Ryan. He became arguably the best player in franchise history, took the team to Super Bowl LI and was the Most Valuable Player in 2016. Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts during the 2022 offseason, and he officially retired last week after taking last season off to work as a television analyst.