Matt Ryan Jokes He's 'Not Trying to Pull a Philip Rivers' and End NFL Retirement

Atlanta Falcons legend and newly appointed President of Football Matt Ryan joked during his introductory press conference on Tuesday that he wasn't going to end his multiyear retirement a la 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who answered a call from the QB-needy Indianapolis Colts and started three games for them in December.

"I'm not trying to call plays. I'm not trying to run your offense. I'm not trying to pull a Philip Rivers and come back and play," Ryan said.

Ryan played in the NFL from 2008-2022, making four Pro Bowls. He won one NFL MVP and led his team to the playoffs six times (including an NFC title). His first 14 years were with the Falcons before he signed with the Colts in 2022.

The 40-year-old Ryan had been working as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports, but will now take on a new challenge with the Falcons, who have posted eight straight losing seasons. The Falcons parted ways with general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris, and now the team has a new leadership structure in place with Ryan in charge.

However, the Falcons will still have a traditional general manager, as Ryan noted.

The Falcons have several questions to answer, namely figuring out a new GM and a new head coach. Atlanta will conceivably add to the QB room: starter Michael Penix Jr. suffered a season-ending partially torn ACL in November, and backup Kirk Cousins is expected to be release before the new league year begins in March after the team restructured his contract, per Josh Kendall and Jeff Howe of The Athletic.

It's unclear what the Falcons will do at QB, but we do know Ryan isn't heading back onto the field. We do know he is in charge of football operations now, though, as Atlanta embarks on a new era.