Falcons reportedly deal longtime QB Matt Ryan to Colts for 3rd-round pick

The Indianapolis Colts acquired quarterback Matt Ryan in a trade Monday with the Atlanta Falcons, The Associated Press has learned.

Indy will send a third-round pick, No. 82 overall, for the longtime Falcons star, according to a person with knowledge of the deal who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been made official.

Ryan, who turns 37 in May, led Atlanta to its second Super Bowl appearance following the 2016 season, the same year he was named the league's MVP.

The trade with the Colts was quickly worked out quickly, giving Indianapolis the big-time quarterback it has been pursuing since Andrew Luck's surprise retirement prior to the 2018 season at age 29.

The deal for Ryan came shortly after the Falcons made a highly publicized but failed bid to acquire Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

When their public courting of Watson fell apart, it became clear Ryan did not want to return to a team where he had played his entire NFL career and then openly tried to replace him.

Ryan is undoubtedly the greatest quarterback in Falcons history, the No. 3 overall pick in 2008 who stepped in to replace Michael Vick and steady a franchise rocked by coach Bobby Petrino's departure after 13 games and Vick's imprisonment for running a dogfighting ring.

With Ryan running the offence, the Falcons rebounded from a 4-12 mark in 2007 to make the playoffs in 2008 — the start of a run of five straight winning seasons that included three postseason appearances. Until Ryan arrived, Atlanta had never even managed back-to-back winning seasons since joining the NFL as an expansion team in 1966.

After several down years for the team, Ryan turned in his greatest season in 2016, throwing for