Imagine how publicly intolerable the Browns’ acquisition of Deshaun Watson was that we’re sitting here after the Falcons had to trade Matt Ryan to the Colts because of their own failed pursuit of Watson—for scraps, by the way—and eat the largest dead cap hit in NFL history at the same time and thinking: well, it could be worse!
Of course, just barely so. The Falcons, like the Panthers and Saints, are set to play out a comically sad season after they lined up and tap danced for a quarterback who was alleged by 22 different women of either sexual assault or misconduct. The teams put their offseason on hold while the rest of a bustling quarterback carousel played itself out just for a lottery ticket in the who-could-stoop-lower sweepstakes. Cleveland obviously won by rewarding a player accused of some serious misdeeds with a record-setting, fully-guaranteed contract. But everyone else is going to get a crack at the walk of shame here. Monday was Atlanta’s turn.
In the coming days and weeks, I’m sure the Falcons will try and convince everyone this was part of the plan. That Ryan was always going to move on and that they were just kicking some tires in those formal presentations that required a whole bunch of research, due diligence, organizational time and effort, celebrity cameos and maybe a promise to rename the building Deshaun Watson Arena. Head coach Arthur Smith, in a statement released Monday, said: “we’re always evaluating and looking for opportunities to improve our team for the long term. This move is another step in that, and we’re looking forward to the future.”
While I have not, admittedly, studied the complete breadth of roster-building strategies across NFL history, where does trading our franchise quarterback for a third-round pick in a draft where there isn’t even good quarterbacks in the first round, absorbing a mammoth $40 million cap hit and handing Marcus Mariota a two-year deal rank among the best forward-thinking plans? Remove the assumption of professionalism here and tell me this doesn’t sound like intoxicated button-smashing on your favorite football video game.
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There’s an element of schadenfreude here to watch all of the clubs who got played in the Watson sweepstakes put their heads down and walk back to an empty storefront with only a small handful of options remaining at the sport’s most important position. At this juncture, only Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo remain on the shelves of win-with quarterbacks, and their price likely goes up by the minute. The Saints had to pay Jameis Winston $14 million per season on a multi-year deal to see how he can fare without Sean Payton. The Panthers are, reportedly, scouring collegiate options, which is interesting considering how contentious the owner-head coach relationship was there just a few months ago, when Matt Rhule’s name was coming up frequently during the college coaching cycle. They could find themselves starting Sam Darnold again in Week 1.
And then there’s Atlanta, who hired a coach that was recreating his own version of the Kyle Shanahan system—the one in which Ryan was most successful and used to lead the Falcons to a Super Bowl—and cut bait after one seven-win season. Last year, the Falcons traded one of their franchise stalwarts to a team that finished the regular season first in the AFC. With Ryan in Indianapolis, they’re hoping to scratch off another block on the my-bad bingo card.
The question remains: Why? At the very, very least, it didn’t have to go down this way. Ryan, who was a consummate professional in Atlanta despite years of stubbornness and complacency from a personnel standpoint around him, never tried to force his way out. He won an MVP, made four Pro Bowls, threw up competitive numbers and kept the ball moving. While older than Watson, Ryan’s best seasons stack up favorably against Watson’s body of work. Watson’s best season statistically came amid a lost 4–12 campaign.
Atlanta deferred Ryan’s roster bonus, treating him like some sort of extraneous piece of deck furniture to be rearranged depending on conditions.
It’s been eye-opening to see teams reveal their true colors while chasing Watson. The Browns, who defiantly stood behind Baker Mayfield for so long, are now anonymously poo-pooing him on the way out the door, which is a fascinating strategy given how it simultaneously sinks Mayfield’s asking price. Even if Matt Ryan was sitting shotgun for the Falcons’ entire charade, veterans in Atlanta should take note of how he was handled on the way out. If they can’t take care of Matt Ryan, what are they going to do for you?
The realists among us had a feeling this saga would produce more losers than winners overall; just no idea that it would happen so quickly. One promising young quarterback has been alienated. One franchise legend has been flipped off en route to the parking garage. One has to wonder if they all think it was worth the while.
