Falcons Rumors: Matt Ryan's $7.5M Bonus Payout Pushed Back amid Deshaun Watson Talks

The Atlanta Falcons have bought themselves a bit more time as they wait on Deshaun Watson's decision. 

With the former Houston Texans quarterback reportedly deciding between the Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, the Falcons pushed back a $7.5 million roster bonus due to current quarterback Matt Ryan on Friday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

According to multiple reports, the Falcons and Saints are the front-runners for Watson, who will take the weekend to make his decision:

That, in turn, has left Ryan in limbo. 

The 36-year-old still has two years left on his contract, and had the Falcons not pushed back the deadline for his roster bonus, his cap hit for the 2022 season would have gone from $40.5 million to $48 million. 

If the team doesn't land Watson, Ryan's deal will likely be restructured to soften that prohibitive cap hit. Last week, the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Ryan and the Falcons had agreed to a restructure that would have freed up about $12 million in cap space this offseason. 

But that was before a Houston grand jury decided not to pursue criminal charges against Watson after 10 women filed complaints accusing Watson of sexual assault and misconduct. Watson is still facing 22 civil lawsuits from women making the same accusations.

Watson's trade market began to heat up after the possibility of criminal charges were off the table. 

As for Ryan, the four-time Pro Bowler and 2016 MVP had a mediocre 2021 season, throwing for 3968 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, completing 67 percent of his passes. The Falcons went just 7-10. 

Granted, Ryan was dealing with a depleted receiving group after Julio Jones was traded before the season and Calvin Ridley left the team midway through the year. But it wasn't Ryan's best showing regardless. 

If the Falcons land Watson, Ryan will surely interest any teams in need of quarterback help. The Indianapolis Colts, fresh off of dealing Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders, would be the logical front-runners for his services.