Matt Ryan

At 39 years old, Matt Ryan has this physical status:

Matthew Thomas Ryan (born May 17, 1985) is an American football quarterback and team captain for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL).

Ryan was selected by the Falcons with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft after playing college for Boston College. Ryan was Boston College's starting quarterback from 2005 to 2007, winning three bowl titles and a 25–7 record in 32 starts.

He threw for more than 15 times, placing him third all time in school history in passing yards and in pass completions.

In 2005, Ryan led his team to an ACC Atlantic Division championship and was named ACC Player of the Year.

Ryan played all 16 games for the Falcons during his rookie season and led them to the playoffs with an 11–5 record.

He has been named as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Ryan was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 2016 and led the Falcons to Super Bowl LI, where they were defeated by the New England Patriots. Ryan, the first $30 million per year quarterback and the highest paid player in NFL history, before being overmatched by Aaron Rodgers in October.

Personal life

Ryan, the third of the four siblings, was born to Bernice Ryan. They are of Irish descent and were raised as Catholics. John Loughery, one of Ryan's uncles, played quarterback at Boston College from 1979 to 1982. Ryan is an avid golfer and has competed in tournaments such as the American Century Celebrity Golf Classic. Mike McGlinchey, his uncle, played college football at Notre Dame and was later drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2018.

He grew up a Philadelphia Eagles fan and was part of the Falcons' online reading program, "Read With a Falcon."

Ryan and his wife Sarah were expecting twins on November 21, 2017 despite being on social media. Sarah announced the birth of their twin boys in 2018.

Ryan appeared on ABC's Schooled's premiere on January 9, 2019, and his high school athletic career is also explored in the series.

In June 2020, Ryan donated $500,000 to a GoFundMe to help people in Atlanta's black community.

Source

High school career

Ryan attended William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was a three-year starter and received All-East awards from Larunt Lemming Prep Football Report. In addition to winning All-City first-team awards in 2002 and second-team recognition in 2001, he captured All-Southeastern Pennsylvania accolades as a senior quarterback. As a senior, he threw for more than 2000 yards with 19 touchdowns, finishing his career by completing more than 56% of his pass attempts during all three seasons as the helm. Ryan played football, basketball, and baseball while in high school, and he was named captain of all three teams in his senior year. He was quarterback of the basketball team in 2002, played small forward on the basketball team, and was a pitcher and a shortstop on the baseball team.

Ryan says he was "mildly" recruited and began receiving scholarship offers as a sophomore and was the recipient of scholarships. Purdue, Georgia Tech, Temple, and Connecticut were among the schools that gave him an athletic scholarship. He gave them his verbal commitment on August 14, 2002 after visiting Boston College during his junior year. He didn't come from Iowa or Boston College. Ryan was looking for a university close to home and one that had a strong and competitive football program with a major emphasis on academics.

College career

Ryan began attending Boston College in 2003 and redshirted his first year with the team. He was named as Boston College's starting quarterback before the 2004 season due to a injury to Quinton Porter. In the 29–7 victory, he made his collegiate debut against the UMass Minutemen on October 2, 2004, and he passed for 16 yards on two of three passes. After tossing Larry Lester with a 32-yard touchdown pass, he did not finish his first touchdown until November 20, 2004, against Temple. In the 34–17 victory over 34-17, he replaced the injured Paul Peterson. In a 43-17 loss to Syracuse, he made his first collegiate appearance on November 27, 2004, finishing 24 of 51 passes for 200 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. In the Continental Tire Bowl, he also played against North Carolina. In the 37-24 victory, he passed one of his two passes for 13 yards. Ryan was also a natural performer in the classroom and received the 2004 Freshman Male Scholar-Athlete award the same year.

Ryan was dubbed the second-string quarterback behind Quinton Porter at the start of the 2005 season. Porter had some success in the first week of the year, including winning Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week for his role in Boston College's 28–17 victory over Virginia. Coach Tom O'Brien finally went to Ryan for good in the fourth quarter of the next game against North Carolina State after a 30–10 loss to third-ranked Virginia Tech. He completed 121 of 195 passes for 1,514 yards in ten games, of which he started five. He had eight touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for five touchdowns and 94 yards. Boise State was his first bowl game in MPC Computers Bowl versus Boise State. In the 27–21 victory over Boston College, he completed 19 of 36 passes for 256 yards and a career-best three touchdowns, extending his total AP Poll finish to finish at #18 in the final AP Poll.

Ryan played 11 of the 12 games. He passed for 263 of 427 yards on a conference-leading 2,942 yards, 15 touchdowns, and ten interceptions. In addition, he rushed for four touchdowns. He was the first-team for All-ACC and led the ACC in total offense (242.2 yards per game) and passing yards (245.5 yards per game). He was named offensive back of the week three times. Against Brigham Young, he set career highs in completions (32 against Central Michigan) and passing yards (356 against Brigham Young). He led the team to a 9–3 record, with double overtime victories over Clemson and Brigham Young. In the Meineke Car Care Bowl against Navy in Charlotte, North Carolina, he led the Eagles to a close 25–24 victory on December 26, 2006. Ryan strained his ankle against Central Michigan in the season opener. Ryan broke his foot against Virginia Tech on the same leg. Despite all the injuries, Ryan only played one game (against Buffalo). Shawn Halloran's results against Syracuse in 1985 and Frank Harris' performance against Army in 1968 tied him to his 57 pass attempts in the 2006 Wake Forest game. His 40 pass completions in the 2006 Wake Forest game tied the previous school record of 37 by Harris in the game against Army in 1968.

During his senior years, Ryan launched Mattyice.com, where fans and journalists alike have 24-hour access to video highlights, updated biographical data, statistics, and other information about him.

Ryan was named to the preseason All-ACC team before the season started. Jeff Jagodzinski, a long-serving NFL assistant, has also been hired by Boston College as a new head coach. In the 38–28 victory over Wake Forest, he completed 32 of 52 passes for 408 yards and five touchdowns. He started his hot streak against Georgia Tech on Friday, going 30-of-44 for a career-high 435 yards against the staunch Tech defense en route to a tense 24-10 road victory. Ryan was deemed a potential Heisman Trophy candidate after this game. Ryan led the Boston College Eagles to a thrilling comeback after bad weather in Blacksburg, Virginia, in which they had less than three minutes to play on October 25, 2007, including the game-winner with 11 seconds remaining to Andre Callender. However, Ryan's chance of winning the Heisman fell sharply after he threw three interceptions in a 27-17 loss to an unranked 6–3 Florida State. However, his odds were significantly raised after a good showing against Clemson. Despite two straight ACC losses, Ryan and the Eagles found themselves with a ticket to the conference championship on the line. Rich Gunnell, Andre Callender, and Ryan Purvis led the team on a game-tying drive, bringing the Eagles to the Clemson two-yard line early in the fourth, down 10–3 in the third quarter. James McCluskey went from there to winning the game at 10-apiece, and even the highest score at 10-apiece. A Clemson turnover resulted in a Boston College field goal and a 13-10 lead for the Eagles shortly thereafter. Ryan defeated Doug Flutie for the most passing touchdowns in a single season by an Eagle quarterback in a single season, defeating him 31 times. Despite these statistics, he had trouble throwing interceptions throughout the year and finished with 19 (second most among college quarterbacks). In the 2007 Wake Forest game, his five touchdown passes were one shy of the school record of six, which was held by Flutie against North Carolina. It was Boston College's first 10-win regular season since 1940, and the first time they had had a back-to-back 10-overall win seasons in program history. With a 24–21 victory over the Michigan State Spartans in the Champs Sports Bowl on December 28, Ryan threw three touchdown passes, two to Rich Gunnell and one to Jon Loyte. He finished the season with 4,507 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions.

During the 2007 season, Ryan received various awards. He was named both the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and the ACC Player of the Year. He was given the Golden Arm Award in 2007, which is given every year in the United States to the country's most outstanding college football senior quarterback. Colt Brennan of Hawaii, Brian Brohm of Louisville, Oregon's Dennis Dixon, and Kentucky's Andre Woodson were among the other finalists for the 2007 national championship; all of whom were drafted at the 2008 NFL Draft). He was chosen to play in the 2008 Senior Bowl. Erik Ainge (Oklahoma), Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), Colt Brennan (Hawai'i), Benjamin Dixon (Texas Tech), Pat White (West Virginia), and Andre Woodson (Kentucky). Together with Boston College's first-ever individual champion Kasey Hill, he was named "Eagle of the Year." He came in seventh place in Heisman Trophy voting this year.

He was pictured as the cover star for the PS3 version of NCAA Football 09. In 2016, Boston College's jersey was retired.

Professional career

On the Wonderlic exam, Ryan earned a 32, tying for the highest score by a quarterback in the 2008 Draft class.

In the 2008 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons drafted him third overall. When he agreed to a six-year, $72 million deal on May 20, 2008, he was the second first-round pick of the draft to sign; the deal contained $34.75 million in guaranteed funds. Despite never having played a single football game, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Carson Palmer made Ryan the fourth highest paid quarterback in the NFL, behind Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Carson Palmer. This fuelled the discussion over whether draftee draftees in the NFL were too expensive. In addition, Ryan had signed endorsement agreements with Nike and AirTran.

Ryan was named starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions' regular season opener on August 24, 2008. Ryan was the first rookie quarterback for the Falcons since Michael Vick in 2001. Ryan completed his first NFL pass to Michael Jenkins on his first NFL game since Michael Bishop of the New England Patriots in 2000. Dewayne White, a Lions defensive player, was fired for the first time by Ryan after his first victory. Ryan's first interception by rookie cornerback Aqib Talib and then Sabby Piscitelli marked the second game of the season for the Buccaneers.

He passed for 70 yards against Roddy White in Week 3 of his career in Week 3. When Chris Redman threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to White on December 23, 2007, the Falcons' longest pass completion since December 23, 2007. Ryan completed passes to six different opponents in the same game. Against the Green Bay Packers last week, he threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Roddy White and tight end Justin Peelle were among his touchdown passes. Ryan led the Falcons to a comeback victory over the Chicago Bears the following week. With six seconds remaining, he completed a 26-yard pass to Michael Jenkins, which set Jason Elam up for the game-winning field goal. Ryan led the game 22-of-30 for a career-high 301 passing yards. In addition, he had a crucial fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Roddy White. Ryan completed all five of his pass attempts for 57 yards on Atlanta's first offensive drive, resulting in a Falcons field goal and a 3–0 lead. Ryan was named Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week for his efforts.

At NFL Rush.com, Ryan developed a game titled "Folleyball" for NFL Play 60, which was released in October of that year.

Following an impressive run of games in which Ryan led the Falcons to a 2–1 record on October 30, he was named NFC Rookie of the Month for October. Ryan became the first Falcons player to be coveted this award in Week 8 against the Oakland Raiders, despite his high completion rate (77.3). He passed for 220 yards, two touchdowns, and had a quarterback rating of 138.4. He had completed passes to eight different receivers, and the game was his third consecutive game (Green Bay, Philadelphia). Ryan's final completion percentage of 77.3 is a career high, as well as his passer rating of 138.4. Following his success against the Raiders, he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Ryan converted his first rusher against the New Orleans Saints on December 7 with a 12-yard touchdown scramble, making him the second rookie to do so. Peyton Manning was the first to arrive.

After finishing with 206 yards against Tampa Bay, Ryan became the first Falcons rookie quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season. Ryan's passing total makes him the 10th quarterback in club annals and the first since 1998, when Chris Chandler threw 3,154 yards. It was also his first overtime victory as a starter. Since his appearance by the second time in his career, he was named the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for games played. Ryan finished second among the best rookies in fan Pro Bowl voting (416,468 votes), behind only Titans running back Chris Johnson. In Week 16 against the Minnesota Vikings, Ryan threw for a season-low 134 yards, snaping a streak of nine consecutive games without at least 200 yards passing, while the Falcons finished 13-of-24 passing, to Jerious Norwood in the second quarter; on the other hand, the Falcons earned their first playoff berth since 2004.

He had 3,440 passing yards, 17 touchdowns (one rushing), and 11 interceptions. After starting all 16 games of the season, he and fellow rookie Joe Flacco were the first rookie quarterbacks to lead their teams to the playoffs. He is one of twelve rookie quarterbacks to throw for over 3,000 yards (2,743 m) in their rookie season. Ryan was named the AP NFL Rookie of the Year on December 31, 2007. In addition, his selection was named to the All-Rookie Team for the 2008 season, joining Steve Bartkowski (1975) and Doug Johnson (2000) as the only Falcons quarterbacks to win the award.

Ryan made his first playoff appearance against the Arizona Cardinals on January 3, 2009. Kurt Warner, the third-largest age discrepancy between playoff quarterbacks, was 15 years younger than opposing quarterback Kurt Warner. It was his first attempted playoff pass. Ryan completed 26 of his 40 passing attempts for 199 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Justin Peelle scored his first touchdown in a playoff game. Atlanta lost by 30-24. Mike Smith and Ryan became the first rookie head coach and rookie quarterback to play in a playoff game since the Cleveland Browns created the feat with assistant Adam Walsh and quarterback Bob Waterfield in 1945 (the same feat was repeated the next day by Ravens Joe Flacco and John Harbaugh). Ryan set a new NFL rookie record of 26 completions in a single postseason game during the series.

At the end of the 2008 season, Ryan was voted Offensive Captain by his teammates, as well as offensive lineman Todd McClure.

Ryan led the Falcons to a 19–7 victory over the Miami Dolphins in 2009. He started the season strong with two29 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Ryan led the Falcons over the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. In a half (3), Ryan had a career high in touchdown passes (3), completion percentage (78%), and touchdown passes. He finished the game 21–28 with 220 yards, three touchdowns, and an interceptor. Ryan and the Falcons lost to the New England Patriots in Week 3. In the 26–10 loss, Ryan went 17-28 for 199 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

He completed 15 of 21 passes for 258 yards in the first half of the week 5 game against the San Francisco 49ers, a new record-high for the first half of play. Ryan completed 22 of 32 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns for a 110.0 passer rating. Ryan screamed a 31-yard fielder to Roddy White and connected with White again in the second quarter with a 90-yard touchdown. Ryan and White's highs at the university and reception set new career records. The pass and reception were also the third longest in franchise history and the longest pass play since 2001. With 329 yards in a single game, the quarterback tied for his third-career 300-yard passing outing.

Ryan often failed in Weeks 6 to 9, throwing more interceptions (8?) than touchdowns (6), with a combined passing rating of 65.5. Despite that, Michael Turner led the Falcons to two victories in the four games, in large part due to Michael Turner's solid results.

During Week 12, Ryan sustained a turf toe injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Chris Redman chipped in and won the game by connecting to Roddy White for a five-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The Falcons suffered a 34–17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and a 26–23 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Weeks 13 and 14. Following this victory, however, the consequences of Ryan's absence was compounded by injury to starting running back Michael Turner, and the Falcons suffered a 34–17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and a 26–23 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Ryan recovered in Week 15, despite not fully recovered from his injury, and Atlanta defeated the New York Jets 10–7 in Week 15.

In Week 16, the Falcons defeated the Buffalo Bills 31–3. Ryan passed for 250 yards with three touchdowns, two of whom were to Roddy White. The Falcons defeated the Buccaneers by a score of 20–10 in their last game of the season. Ryan had 223 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the victory. For the first time in franchise history, the Falcons defeated the Reds in back-to-back winning seasons.

Ryan finished the season with 22,916 yards, 14 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 80.9. Ryan also ran for 49 yards and one touchdown.

Ryan led the Falcons to a NFC record 13–3 record in the 2010 season, second in the NFL behind the 14–2 New England Patriots.

In a 15–9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ryan's 2010 season started off slowly. He was 27-of-44 for 252 yards and an interception. In the next game against the Arizona Cardinals, he bounced back. He was 21-of-32 for 225 yards and three touchdowns in the 41-7 victory. In Week 7, he had his most productive game of the season in the 39–32 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He was 24-of-33 for 299 yards, three touchdowns, and one interceptor for a season-high 118.1 passer rating. Ryan and the Falcons' victory over the Bengals started an eight-game winning streak. In Week 10, against the Baltimore Ravens, he went for 316 yards and three touchdowns. Ryan won with 236 passing yards and two touchdowns over the Carolina Panthers in Week 16, defeating them in Week 16.

While tossing nine interceptions, Ryan set career highs in touchdowns (28), completion percentage (62.5), and yards (3,705) on the season. In attempts (571), completions (357), and wins in a season (13), Ryan set single-season franchise records as well as career highs (571). In the 2010 season, Ryan led the NFL in fourth-quarter comebacks for a quarterback. He had six.

The Falcons were defeated by the Green Bay Packers, the eventual Super Bowl XLV champions, by a score of 48–21. Ryan passed for 186 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in the loss.

For the first time in his career, Ryan was invited to the 2011 Pro Bowl. In the Pro Bowl, he threw two touchdowns, one to Tony Gonzalez and the other to Larry Fitzgerald. He was voted the 52nd best player in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.

Ryan led the Falcons to a 10–6 record in 2011, passing for 4,177 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

In the 30–12 loss, Ryan was 31-of-47 for 319 yards and an interception. The Falcons came back from a 35–31 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the next game. Ryan finished 17-of-28 for 195 yards, with four touchdowns and two interceptions. He played in Weeks ten and eleven against the New Orleans Saints and the Tennessee Titans in consecutive games with at least 300 passing yards. In Week 14, against the Carolina Panthers, he was 22-of-38 for 320 yards and four touchdowns, his second straight NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Ryan had 4,177 passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions during the 2011 season.

The Falcons' regular-season record of 10–6 qualifiers them for the playoffs. However, they were eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl XLVI champion New York Giants in the Wild Card Round by a score of 24–2. Ryan was 24-of-41 passing for 199 yards in the loss.

Ryan led the Falcons to their best start of the season in 2012, going 8–0. Ryan set new personal records in completions (422), completion percentage (68.6), yards (4,719), and touchdowns (32).

Ryan had four games with three touchdown passes and three others going over the 300-yard passing record in the 8-0 start. In Week 10, the Falcons suffered their first loss of the season on their first offence of the season against the New Orleans Saints. When the Falcons fell by a score of 31-27, Ryan was 34-of-52 for a then career-high 411 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Ryan threw for 301 yards in the next game against the Arizona Cardinals but had a career-best five interceptions. Despite the turnovers, the Falcons won by 23-19 points. In a 31–18 victory over the Detroit Lions, he was 25-of-32 for 279 yards and four touchdowns in his third straight NFC Offensive Player of the Week nod.

The Falcons finished the regular season 13-13, with the first seed in the NFC. Ryan, who was 0-3 in the postseason, played in his first postseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, with Ryan directing the final scoring drive that culminated in Matt Bryant's game-winning 49-yard field goal. In the 30–28 victory, Ryan passed for 250 passing yards, 68.6% completion rate, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. Ryan threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship, but he also lost two turnovers in critical portions of the game, and then strained the AC joint to his non-throwing shoulder as the Falcons lost 28–24. He didn't need surgery to repair his shoulder and would have been able to play in Super Bowl XLVIII if the Falcons had advanced. For the second time in his career, he was selected to the Pro Bowl, but he was forced to miss due to his shoulder injury. He was ranked 17 by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.

Ryan committed to a five-year deal extension with the Falcons worth $103.75 million on July 25, 2013. Ryan won the all-time franchise leader in passing yards on December 30, beating Steve Bartkowski for the all-time franchise king in passing yards.

The Falcons had a down year, with multiple injuries and the absence of key players on both sides of the ball. In the down season, Ryan put on some impressive individual appearances. In Week 2, he had 374 passing yards and two touchdowns against the St. Louis Rams, defeating the 31–24 victory. In Week 34, he was 34-of-54 for a career-high 421 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, leading to a game-in-week's 30-23 loss. Ryan was the first quarterback in franchise history to have multiple games with at least 400 passing yards against the Patriots. In Week 7, he was 20-of-26 for 273 yards and three touchdowns for a 148.4 passer rating, winning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Falcons were 2–4 after the game, with all the losses being by a combined 19 points. However, the majority of the season began with five consecutive losses, which the team never recovered from. In the 27–13 loss, he had a career-high 61 pass attempts for 301 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions.

Ryan finished fourth in the league on the season with 26 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

In 2014, Ryan led the Falcons to a 6–10 record. He passed for 4,694 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, as well as a 93.9 quarterback rating.

With a 37–34 victory over the New Orleans Saints, the season got off to a promising start. Ryan was 31-of-43 for a then career-high 448 yards and three touchdowns, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor. The Falcons defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 56–14 after a 24–10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Ryan was 21-of-24 on a career-high single-game completion percentage of 87.5 percent, with a career-high single-game completion rate of 87.5 percent and had 286 yards and three touchdowns for a career-high 155.9 passer rating. For his play against the Buccaneers, he received another NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. The Falcons lost six of their next eight games. The Falcons defeated the Arizona Cardinals 38–38 on Week 13, winning by a much-needed 29–18 victory over the Cardinals in Week 13, losing 43–37 as Ryan had 375 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. The Falcons had a 6-9 record after a 27–20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and a 30–14 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Despite the 2014 season's upswing, the Falcons had a chance to advance to the playoffs with a win in Week 17 due to the entire NFC South division's weakness. However, the Falcons missed the playoffs for the second straight season after losing 34-33-3 to their divisional rivals, the Carolina Panthers, in Week 17. Ryan was selected to the Pro Bowl for the third time in his career. He was ranked as the seventh best player in the league by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.

Ryan led the Falcons to an 8-8 record in 2015, good for second in the NFC South but not enough to make the playoffs.

Ryan and the Falcons' 2015 season was an uneventful one. In the 26-24 victory, he was 23-of-34 for 298 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. In the 24-20 victory, he was 30-of-46 for 363 yards and a touchdown. The Falcons won the first three games in a 5–0 start. Ryan was 3-of-44 for 295 yards and two touchdowns in their first loss against the New Orleans Saints in their sixth game with a 31-21 setback. The Falcons lost their next six games after defeating the Tennessee Titans 10-7. Ryan had a season-high 397 passing yards for two touchdowns and an interception in a 23-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8.

Ryan finished the 2015 season with 21 touchdown passes, his second lowest of his career, as well as 16 interceptions, the second-highest of his career. In addition, Ryan failed a career-high 12 times, losing five of them, which was also a career high.

Ryan and the Falcons' 2016 season was one of his most memorable individual and team accomplishments. In a 31–24 setback to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ryan started the 2016 season with 334 passing yards and two touchdowns. He passed for 396 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the next game, defeating the Oakland Raiders 35-28. Ryan threw for a team-record 533 yards and four touchdowns in Week 4, while teammate Julio Jones added 12 yards for a team-record 300 yards and a touchdown in a victory over the Carolina Panthers. Ryan and Jones were the first quarterback-receiver pair to combine for at least 500 passing yards and 300 receiving yards in the same game. With 46 consecutive games, he tied for the most consecutive games with at least 200 passing yards. He had 344 passing yards and four touchdowns in Week 9, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 43–28, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 17, he led the New Orleans Saints to victory by 38-32, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Ryan's season was a huge improvement over the previous year. He threw for a career-high 4,944 yards on 373 runs and 534 attempts, second in the league, as well as second in the league, and a career-high 38 touchdowns and a career-low seven interceptions, placing second in the league. Ryan's 9.3 yards per attempt and 5.0 air yards per attempt ranked No. 8 in the category. In 2016, the one in the top quarterbacks in the NFL. For the first time in his career, he threw a touchdown pass in all 16 games, and was the first quarterback to do so for the 2016 season. He threw a pass to an NFL record of 13 different receivers on the season. Ryan was selected to his fourth Pro Bowl and was named First-Team All Pro. The Pro Football Writers Association honoured him as the NFL Most Valuable Player following the regular season. For the 2016 season, Ryan was named both the NFL Offensive Player of the Year and the NFL Most Valuable Player. He received the Bert Bell Award for the 2016 season. He was ranked tenth by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.

Ryan led the 11–5 Falcons to a 36-20 home win over the #3-seed Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round as the #2 seed in the NFC Playoffs. Ryan passed for over 300 yards and had three touchdowns. Ryan led the Falcons to a 44-21 victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship. Ryan passed for 392 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. As the Falcons earned a trip to Super Bowl LI, he ran for his fifth touchdown, just the fourth player to do so in a post-season game. The game against the Packers was the last one to be played at the Georgia Dome. Ryan finished with 284 passing yards, two touchdowns, and a lost fumble during Super Bowl LI against the New England Patriots. Despite leading the game 28–3 at one time, the Falcons had one of the most significant losses in sports history and then lost the Super Bowl in overtime, 28–34. In a single postseason, Ryan became the first quarterback in franchise history to pass for over 1,000 yards in a single season. He had the highest passer rating, 135.3, and joined Joe Flacco as the only ones not to throw a single interception.

Ryan connected with tight end Austin Hooper for an 88-yard touchdown at Soldier Field on September 10, 2017, the second longest touchdown pass of Ryan's career. Ryan was 21-of-30 for 321 yards and one touchdown in the game. Ryan and the Falcons played in Week 2 at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium for their first home game. Ryan was 19-of-28 for 252 yards and a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers, his first touchdown in the new stadium was kicked to running back Tevin Coleman. The Falcons defeated the Falcons by a score of 34–23. Ryan passed for 233 yards and a passing touchdown in Week 7, a Super Bowl LI rematch against the New England Patriots, resulting in a career-high 37 rushing yards. Ryan became the fastest quarterback to throw for over 40,000 passing yards in Week 10, defeating the Dallas Cowboys 27–7. Drew Brees' record was beaten in 151 games, which was achieved in 152 games. Ryan set the record for most passing yards through ten seasons in Week 17, beating the Carolina Panthers 22-10, a record set by Peyton Manning, who had 41,626. In the Wild Card Round, Ryan led the Falcons to a road victory over the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 26–13. In the NFC Divisional Round, Ryan passed for 210 yards and one touchdown as the Falcons were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles 15-10. Ryan was ranked 29th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

Ryan signed a five-year, $150 million contract with the Falcons on May 3, 2018, making him the first player to average at least $30 million per year. Ryan scored two rushing touchdowns, a one-yard foul, and an eight-yard score in the fourth quarter for the first time in his professional career in Week 2. In addition,, he had 272 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and an interception in the victory. Ryan passed for 374 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in Week 3, when the New Orleans Saints lost by 43-37 on overtime. In Week 4, against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had 419 passing yards and three touchdowns in a tough 37–36 loss in which the Bengals scored a go-ahead touchdown with seven seconds remaining. In Week 7, he had 379 passing yards and one passing touchdown against the New York Giants, defeating the 23-20 win. In Week 10, he had a career-high 38 completions on 52 attempts for 330 yards and two touchdowns, defeating the Cleveland Browns. In Week 12, he had 377 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, as the 31-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Ryan eclipsed 4,000 yards against the Green Bay Packers in Week 20-24, making him the third quarterback in NFL history to reach 4,000 in at least eight seasons in a row. (2006–2014) and Peyton Manning (2006–2014). Ryan threw two passing touchdowns as well as a rushing touchdown in Week 15, giving him his highest rushing touchdowns for the season. In addition, Ryan and Thomas Dimitroff became the sixth quarterback-general manager pair to win at least 100 games together, with Ryan winning 100 on the regular season. Ryan caught his first career reception on a five-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Mohamed Sanu in Week 17, a 34–32 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in addition to passing for 378 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. With the touchdown reception, Ryan set a new NFL record for most passing yards in a game while still registering a receiving touchdown.

Ryan finished the 2018 season with 35 passing touchdowns, three blocking touchdowns, and one receiving touchdown, giving him a career-high 39 total touchdowns on the season. In addition, Ryan's seven interceptions are tied for his career highs. Despite a losing 7–9 record, Ryan finished with the third most passing yards, third in completion percentage, and fourth in passer rating. Ryan was named a Pro Bowl alternate for the season, but Ryan turned down the invitation after being chosen. He was ranked 69th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.

The Falcons restructured Ryan's deal by turning $8.75 million in base salary into a signing bonus on March 12.

Ryan completed 33-of-46 passes for 304 yards, two interceptions, and two interceptions in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings. Ryan threw for 320 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions as the Falcons defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2 despite defeating them 24-20. Ryan threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones, giving the Falcons the late game lead. Ryan threw for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and one interceptor in Week 3 against the Indianapolis Colts, defeating the Falcons 27-24. Ryan passed for 397 yards in Week 4 of the Tennessee Titans' 24–10 loss. Ryan threw for 330 yards, three passing touchdowns, and one interception during Week 5 against the Houston Texans, as well as adding a rushing touchdown. Ryan became the first Falcon quarterback since Chris Miller in 1990 to pass for over 300 yards, three touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown in the same game. In a 34-33 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6, he passed for 356 yards and four touchdowns. Ryan sustained an ankle injury against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7. The Falcons lost 37–10. Without Ryan.

Ryan was forced to miss Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks due to an ankle injury, snapping Ryan's streak of 154 regular season games began. That was the fifth straight appearance for quarterbacks. Ryan returned from injury against the New Orleans Saints in Week ten and threw for 182 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the 26-9 upset victory. Ryan threw for 311 yards and a touchdown in Week 11 against the Carolina Panthers, defeating the 29–3 victory. Ryan defeated Warren Moon for the 10th all-time passing yards in NFL history in the game. Ryan threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers in Week 13, including a career-long 93-yard touchdown to Olamide Zaccheaus in the 40-20 victory. Ryan became the 10th quarterback in NFL history to reach 50,000 passing yards in the game. Ryan helped lead a 29-22 upset victory over the San Francisco 49ers, who are heavily favored. Ryan threw a five-yard pass to Julio Jones to go forward in the game's last moments before a defensive touchdown put the game off for good. Ryan passed for 384 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in Week 16, defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-12. Ryan threw for 313 yards and a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17 of Week 17. As the Falcons finished with a 7–9 record, Ryan finished the 2019 season with 4,466 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.

Ryan completed 37-of-52 for 450 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks. Ryan surpassed John Elway for the ninth most all-time passing yards in NFL history during the game. Ryan helped three different wide receivers (Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Russell Gage) reach 100 receiving yards in the loss. It was the first time in franchise history that three different wide receivers made it to the same game. Ryan threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 of Week 2, defeating the 40–39 loss. Ryan and the Falcons had a 20-point lead at one point in the game, but they then lost the game. For the first time since 1997, the Falcons dropped their next three games to start 0–5. In Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, he had 371 passing yards and four passing touchdowns, the Falcons' first game of the 2020 season. For his appearance in Week 6, Ryan was voted NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Following the Vikings' game, Ryan played three games with at least 300 passing yards for the remainder of the season. The Falcons showed promising results from Weeks 6–9, but the Falcons lost three of four games on a separate five-game losing streak. As the team went 4–12, Ryan finished the 2020 season with 4,581 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

Ryan struggled to find consistency in his first year with new head coach Arthur Smith after the departure of longtime colleague Julio Jones. With a 1–3 record, Ryan and the Falcons began the season. Ryan became the seventh quarterback in NFL history to reach 5,000 career completions against the New York Jets in Week 5. Ryan finished 8th in all-time passing yards in NFL history in the same game. The Falcons defeated the Jets in their next game, with Ryan passing for 336 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints, Ryan had 343 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown. For his play, Ryan was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Both the Falcons and the New England Patriots will be anemic in the next two games as they were held to a field goal against the Dallas Cowboys and then shut down by the New England Patriots, with Ryan held to less than 200 yards in both games. Winnings and losses were swapped between the Falcons and the Tigers going into Week 17.

Ryan was called for a taunting touchdown during a Week 17 game against the Buffalo Bills, but after further investigation, he was ruled down at the 1-yard line and Atlanta's resulting 15-yard penalty put Atlanta back at the 16-yard line rather than being enforced on the ensuing kickoff. On the next two plays, the Falcons struggled to score from that distance, effectively ending the team's defeat from the playoffs by 29–15. Ryan finished the 2021 season with 3,968 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

The Falcons cut Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2022 NFL Draft on March 21, 2022, for a third-round pick.

Ryan passed for 352 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception in his first game with the Colts against the Houston Texans in Week 1, winning by 20-20. He completed 60,000 passing yards, his second fastest to do so ever. Ryan led to 389 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6. Alec Pierce threw the game-winning touchdown to him with 17 seconds remaining. He tied Dan Marino for seventh all-time in passing yards in the game. After Week 7's loss, Head Coach Frank Reich revealed that Ryan had a shoulder injury and that Sam Ehlinger would be the Colts' starting quarterback for the remainder of the 2022 season.

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