He’s the best player in franchise history. That franchise has traded him for a third-round draft pick. If you’re thinking Matt Ryan deserved better … well, what’s worse than remaining employed by the Falcons?
At some point the Falcons had to move past Ryan, their quarterback since 2008. This time a week ago, they’d given no indication that such a massive moment was near. Then a Houston grand jury chose not to indict Deshaun Watson, who’s facing 22 lawsuits for sexual assault and harassment. Before he was a Pro Bowl quarterback for the Texans and a national champion at Clemson, Watson of Gainesville, Ga., was a Falcons ball boy.
The Falcons made their pitch to Watson on Wednesday. On Thursday, he chose the Cleveland Browns. This ushered the Falcons into the land of unintended consequences. The only way the Falcons could have added Watson was to delete Ryan, a loyal servant through 14 years of fun, frolic and blown leads.
