Player Information
Matthew Thomas Ryan was born on May 17, 1985 and graduated from William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, PA. He started the season finale as a redshirt freshman. He played a total of 7 games that year, and completed 35 of 71 passes (49.3%) for 350 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. As a sophomore, he started 5 of 10 games, completing 121 of 195 passes (62.1%) for 1514 yards, 8 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and also rushed for 5 more scores. As a junior, he started 12 of 12 games and earned 1st team All-ACC honors. He completed 263 of 427 passes (61.6%) for 2942 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 4 more touchdowns. As a senior, he earned 1st team All-ACC honors once more and also placed 7th in the Heisman Trophy voting. He completed 388 of 654 passes (59.3%) for 4507 yards, 31 touchdowns, 19 interceptions, and also added 2 more rushing touchdowns. He compiled a 25-7 record as a starter at Boston College. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Career Statistics
| PASSING | RUSHING | |||||||||||||
| Year | Team | G | GS | Att. | Cmp. | Pct. | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att. | Yds | TD |
| 2008 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 434 | 265 | 61.1 | 3440 | 7.92 | 16 | 11 | 87.7 | 55 | 104 | 1 |
| 2009 | ATL | 14 | 14 | 451 | 263 | 58.3 | 2916 | 6.47 | 22 | 14 | 80.9 | 30 | 49 | 1 |
| 2010 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 571 | 357 | 62.5 | 3705 | 6.49 | 28 | 9 | 91.0 | 46 | 122 | 0 |
| 2011 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 566 | 347 | 61.3 | 4177 | 7.38 | 29 | 12 | 92.2 | 37 | 84 | 2 |
| TOTALS | 62 | 62 | 2022 | 1232 | 60.9 | 14238 | 7.04 | 95 | 46 | 88.4 | 168 | 359 | 4 | |
Transactions
Signed by Atlanta Falcons on May 20, 2008.
Contract details
He signed a six-year contract worth $66 million that includes $34.75 million with incentives that can push the contract's total worth to $72 million. He will receive base salaries of: $295,000 (2008); $3.5 million (2009); $4.2 million (2010); $4.9 million (2011); $5.6 million (2012); and $6.3 million (2013), all of which are guaranteed. He also receives an initial roster bonus of $2.505 million. He has an incentive clause in his contract that will pay him $3.8 million if he plays in at least 35% of offensive snaps and there is team improvement in one of 3 unknown categories. He also has a roster bonus of $2.9 million if he earns that incentive and is also on the team's roster in 2010. By earning those, his base salaries increase to: $7.5 million (2009); $12.75 million (2010 and 2011); $13.5 million (2012); and $10 million (2013). His new 2009 and 2010 are fully guaranteed and $2.5 million each of his 2011 and 2012 is guaranteed. Also in the contract are included other incentives which are if he appears in 50% of the offensive snaps and earns a playoff win he can earn an additional $500,000 a year, with a maximum payout of $2 million over the life of his contract. If he plays in 35% of snaps in 2008 (or 45% thereafter) and has a Top 5 quarterback ranking or is a Pro Bowl selection, he can earn up to $1 million additional each year, with a maximum payout of $4 million over the life of his contract.