Matt Ryan announces his official retirement from the NFL

Georgia, ME. Matt Ryan, who had Hall of Fame-worthy numbers in a stellar career with the Atlanta Falcons but never won a Super Bowl championship, announced his retirement Monday.

The decision was no surprise given that the quarterback had not played since his disappointing one-time season with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. Last season he worked as an analyst for CBS and received a standing ovation during a game in Atlanta.

“As long as I can remember, all I wanted to do was play sports professionally,” Ryan said in a video posted on social media. “The Atlanta Falcons gave me that opportunity.”

Ryan, who turns 39 next month, passed for 62,792 yards with 381 touchdowns in a 15-year career spent largely with the Falcons in the most successful era in franchise history.

He ranks seventh in NFL history in passing yards, ninth in touchdown passes and was named league MVP in 2016.

“Football is the ultimate team sport,” Ryan said. “I was lucky to be surrounded by great teammates and coaches.

The only thing the player called “Matty Ice” was missing was the title.

He led Atlanta to a Super Bowl appearance — for the second time in franchise history — following the 2016 season, but the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead late in the third quarter. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came back to win 34-28 in overtime and made Atlanta a mockery.

The franchise has had trouble recovering from that moment and currently has six losing seasons in a row.

Ryan thanked the Atlanta fans for “their energy and passion” and said he was proud to retire as a Falcon.

Ryan led the Falcons to a few more playoffs in 2017, but closed his career with five losing seasons. When Atlanta began its rebuilding process after the 2021 season, they sent Ryan and his massive contract to the Colts for a third-round pick.

Indianapolis ended up benching Ryan with a 4-7-1 record as a starter and the fewest touchdown passes of his career, with 14, and 13 interceptions. The Colts quietly let him go at the end of the season.

Ryan began working for CBS, but still thinking he could return to the field if the right team came calling. No one did and Ryan decided to finish his career in Atlanta. The Falcons are scheduled to hold a news conference Monday afternoon.