ATLANTA — It wasn't long ago that the Atlanta Falcons drafted a bright-eyed, young quarterback out of Boston College who would go on to change the franchise's trajectory for years to come -- at least it doesn't feel that long ago.
But fast forward 16 years and longtime Falcons QB Matt Ryan is officially hanging up his helmet for good. But better yet, the man known to Atlanta sports fans as "Matty Ice" is retiring as a Falcon after spending 14 years with the franchise from 2008-2021.
Ryan was selected third overall by the Falcons in the 2008 NFL Draft. He took over the reins at the quarterback position in a time when the franchise desperately needed it.
At the time, the Falcons were just one year removed from Michael Vick's dogfighting investigation that changed the course of history for the franchise. With Vick out for good in Atlanta by August 2007, the Falcons were quarterbacked by the trio of Joey Harrington, Chris Redman and Byron Leftwich the following season -- for which the three combined for 3,573 yards, 18 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a measly 60.5 completion percentage.
The Falcons were in desperate need of a new face to lead the franchise.
Ryan really came onto the scene during his senior year at Boston College. Ryan led the Eagles to as high as No. 2 in the country in the AP Poll in 2007, and Ryan himself finished with over 4,500 yards and 31 touchdowns in the air, which helped him place seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting.
It was Ryan's breakout year, which was his senior year in college, and helped his draft stock shoot up quickly into the top 10. By the time draft night rolled around, Ryan was a bona fide lock to go top five and was projected in most mock drafts to land in Atlanta.
Ryan was selected and became the first quarterback drafted by the Falcons since they took Vick No. 1 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft.
In his first season in 2008, Ryan made an instant impact in Atlanta. He quickly caught the attention of Falcons' fans after completing the first pass of his career to wide receiver Michael Jenkins for a 62-yard touchdown.
The Falcons made the playoffs in Ryan's first year. Atlanta was the No. 5 seed and took on the No. 4 seed Arizona Cardinals, who eventually won the NFC and lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. Ryan battled all game but the Cardinals won 30-24. Despite the loss, Ryan won AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Ryan would go on to make his first Pro Bowl in just his third year when he led the Falcons to a 13-3 record in 2010. Atlanta was the No. 1 seed and received a bye into the Divisional Round. But Atlanta was greeted rudely inside the Georgia Dome by Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, who sent Ryan and the Dirty Birds packing after a 48-21 rout at home.
But it was in 2011 when Ryan's career really elevated during his fourth season. That's when the Falcons selected wide receiver Julio Jones out of Alabama with the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft. Ryan and Jones would go on to become one of the most dynamic quarterback-wide receiver combinations in NFL history.
Ryan surpassed the 4,000-yard passing mark for the first time in Jones' rookie season. The pair connected 54 times for 959 yards and eight touchdowns during their first year together. Atlanta would go on to lose 24-2 to the Giants in the playoffs.
In 2012, the playoff fortunes started to change for Ryan and the Falcons. Ryan led the league in completion percentage and threw for a then-career-high 4,719 passing yards while adding 32 touchdowns compared to only 14 interceptions.
Atlanta was once again 13-3 and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. After beating Seattle in a heck of a Divisional Round battle by a final of 30-28, Ryan had successfully won his first NFL playoff game. The Falcons went to the NFC Championship and battled the San Francisco 49ers, where Atlanta stalled out on its final drive to send San Fran to the Super Bowl.
The next three years were a struggle for Ryan and the Falcons. They combined to go 18-30 in the three seasons, which saw head coach Mike Smith get fired and bring in new head coach Dan Quinn.
Ryan was a Pro Bowler in 2014, but 2013 and 2015 saw Ryan throw the most interceptions of any season in his career, respectively. He threw 17 in 2013 and 16 in 2015.
But Ryan's best year of his career was still awaiting him. Expectations for Falcons fans weren't sky-high going into 2016. They had just come off the three worst seasons during the Matt Ryan era, and first-year head coach Dan Quinn had gone a respectable 8-8.
Little did Falcons fans know they would witness the greatest year of any Falcons' quarterback in the history of the franchise.
Ryan exploded in 2016 and led the team's greatest single-season offense. The Falcons led the NFL in scoring with 540 points, 71 more than the team with the second-most and 99 more than the team with the third-most.
The Falcons scored over 30 points in 11 games (including playoffs), and Ryan set an NFL record by throwing a touchdown pass to 13 different receivers that year.
Ryan threw for a career-high 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns and a career-low seven interceptions. Ryan won the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award and led the Falcons to Super Bowl LI against Tom Brady and the Patriots, for which the Falcons infamously blew a 28-3 lead.
Ryan would go on to steadily produce for the Falcons over the next five years of his Falcons career, leading them to one more playoff appearance in 2017, when they went out in the Divisional Round to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Over the course of his career, Ryan ranks No. 7 all-time in passing yards with 62,792. He garnered the nickname Matty Ice by completing 46 game-winning drives, marking the sixth most in NFL history.
Ryan will undoubtedly go down as the greatest Falcons quarterback to ever do it, but now he sets his sights on a solid chance of getting into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton.
