But that’s what many people in Atlanta are wondering with their sights set on the 2022 NFL season. Will Ryancontinue behind center? Or will the Falcons decide thatit’s time to move on?

Some interesting options at quarterback are expected to beon the market this offseason. However, if we had to guess what the Falcons will do, Arthur Blank‘s latest comments suggestthat the team isn’t ready to part ways with its 2008 third overall pick.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank suggests Matt Ryan would continue in Atlanta

14 seasons of playing football in the NFL is a lot for any player, let alone if all of those years have been with the same team. And Father Time eventually knocks everyone’s door. Ryan turns 37 in May, so many wonder for how long he’ll be a Falcon.

“At some point, there will be a sunset for him,but exactly when that is I really can’t tell you because I really don’t know,“Arthur Blank told the Falcons’ official website (AtlantaFalcons.com). The team owner seems to believe there’s still a lot left in the quarterback’s tank, although he’s aware thatRyan won’t play forever. “At some point, it will become clear that (the Falcons) need to move forward,” he said.

However, that time mayhave not come yet. “(Ryan) loves the game. He loves the Falcons. He loves the city and he wants to stay here,” Blank said. “That’s a decision the coach and general manager will make. But we have no reason to think he won’t continue to be playing quarterback for us.

“Great franchises have a successful transition from one quarterback to the next. We want to make sure we’re focused on doing the same thing. Coach understands that and so does our general manager.”

It would be fair to say it’s too soon to tell what will happen, but the owner’s words are pretty clear. Even though he said the decision is not up to him, Blank has already said what he thinks about the situation. So, unless the coach and GM beg to differ and he’s fine with it, we can prepare ourselves to see Ryan in a Falcons uniform again next season.

Thewide receiver has been linked with a move away from the Falcons the entire summer, as he was understood to have requested a trade. Although Atlanta would have preferred him to stay, they eventually sent him to Tennessee in exchange fora 2022second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick.

With less than a week for the beginning of the 2021 NFL season, Atlanta’s life without Jones is just about to start and his departure is still a topic of discussion. If not, check out what Falcons owner Arthur Blank had to say.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank shares thoughts on Jones’ departure

For the football community, Jones’ exit from Atlanta began when heformally requested for a tradeearlier this year, but according to the franchise owner, it began way before.

In 2019, Julio Jones signed a three-year contract extension worth $66 million. Albeit they found an agreement and those negotiations didn’t break down, for Arthur Blank it was at that moment when things began to go south:

“Look back at the Julio situation in 2019,” Blank toldThe Athletic. “We, being Thomas (Dimitroff), coach (Dan)Quinn, the player and his agent, were all kind of at odds with each other.

“We got a contract done. We felt it was very generous. It made him the top paid receiver in NFL history. But for whatever reason, he felt it wasn’t sufficient respect. I don’t know why he’d feel that way, but he did feel that way.”

Even though those talks eventually led to the contract renewal, they may have damaged Jones’ relationship with the franchise: “It changed. And if you spoke to the players on the team, not that they would say anything, but I think they would tell you the same thing.

“Look, he gave us 10 great years. He’s going to be a Hall of Fame player. He was a good teammate for all that period of time. His ability or willingness to practice the way he did early in his career was different. There were some people who were in the building who had an effect on him. He wanted out.“

The Falcons were looking forward to keeping Jones for longer, but it made no senseto hold onto a player that didn’t want to play there anymore. The former sixth-overall pick has joined a mighty Titans’ offense, while Atlanta will try to have inCalvin Ridley their strongest receiving option.

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