Just days after the Freddie Freeman era ended in Atlanta, the Matt Ryan epoch has come to a close as well ... and for Falcons, the time of Marcus Mariota begins.
The Falcons have traded their longtime franchise cornerstone to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2022 third-round draft pick. The trade frees up some salary cap space in 2022 and much more in 2023, although Ryan will remain a significant dead-cap hit on Atlanta this season.
Atlanta selected Ryan with the third pick of the 2008 draft, with the intent of rehabilitating the franchise’s image in the wake of the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal.