Indianapolis Colts QB Matt Ryan says 'time was right' for change after 14 seasons with Atlanta Falcons

INDIANAPOLIS — Matt Ryan felt he would be a quarterback of only one of two teams next season: the Atlanta Falcons or Indianapolis Colts.

His desire to be play for a different team for the first time in his 14-year NFL career came last weekend after a Zoom call with Colts general manager Chris Ballard, head coach Frank Reich, offensive coordinator Marcus Brady and assistant quarterbacks coach Parks Frazier. The Falcons traded the 36-year-old Ryan to the Colts on Monday for a third-round pick in this year's draft.

«Their passion, their commitment, their professionalism, the accountability Chris has for himself and what he does, the empathy Frank has for my situation of understanding of being in a certain spot and done it for one way,» Ryan said Tuesday during his introductory press conference as the Colts new starting quarterback. "… I just knew the roster they have and the belief in the way they do things, the time was right for me. I knew that it was time to go in a different direction."

Ryan had no idea where he would be playing next season last week. That's because the Falcons were one of the teams in the hunt for quarterback Deshaun Watson, which definitely would have ended Ryan's time in Atlanta. Ryan and the Falcons pushed his $7.5 million roster bonus that was due to him to Monday while they waited for Watson to make a decision on his future. Watson finally waived his no-trade clause to go to the Cleveland Browns, which meant the Falcons had to decide what to do with Ryan.

«It's definitely been a whirlwind of a week for sure on my end,» Ryan said. «This time last week we didn't know how it was going to shake out.… I've been fortunate I've never been through a transaction or a roster move, which is commonplace and