Falcons QB Matt Ryan Signs Five-Year, $150M Extension With Team For Record Per-Year Salary

Matt Ryan just made NFL history in signing a contract extension with the Atlanta Falcons.

Matt Ryan Signs Extension with Falcons

The quarterback, who will be 33 this month, has inked a $150 million, five-year deal with the team that includes $100 million guaranteed. According to ESPN, Ryan is now the first NFL player to make $30 million per year.

Ryan was heading into the last year of a five-year extension he signed in July 2013. Minnesota QB Kirk Cousins held the previous record for the highest per-year salary with $28 million. Next on the list are two other passers: San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo ($27.5 million) and Detroit’s Matthew Stafford ($27 million). Cousins had $84 million guaranteed in one deal he signed.

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Ryan helped lead the Falcons to the Super Bowl after the 2016 season, where they lost to the New England Patriots in overtime. The former Boston College star — the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 Draft — was named NFL MVP that year.

Per ESPN, Ryan boasts the league record with a 64-game streak of 200 or more passing yards. He is 4-6 in the postseason and has appeared in two NFC Championship Games.

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The Falcons finished 10-6 in 2017 for third in the NFC South. The team did not pick any quarterbacks in this year’s draft. Instead, Atlanta took Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley, South Florida defensive tackle Deaderin Senat and Southern Miss running back Ito Smith. The Falcons also selected LSU wideout Russell Gage, Colorado cornerback Isaiah Oliver and Yale linebacker Foyesade Oluokun. 

Article by Pablo Mena