Matt Ryan’s Roots
Matt Ryan May Have Had An NFL Career in Atlanta, But He’ll Always Be A Kid From Philly.
Five months ago, in April 2024, Matt Ryan stepped to the podium shrouded in front of the Atlanta Falcons logo backdrop and announced his retirement. Ryan had last played in the NFL in 2022, but as an NFL quarterback, he’ll always be a Falcon.
Today, Matt Ryan’s game-day preparation doesn’t include a restrictive diet or warming up on the field hours before kickoff. Now, his preparation is research in preparation for the broadcast booth.
Matt Ryan’s career had one ultimate goal. It was a goal shared not only by his teammates but also by every other NFL player to don that professional uniform. Very few NFL players are on the brink of a championship, up 28–3 in the Super Bowl. That’s because no one has ever lost a lead of that size in a Super Bowl and lost 34–28 overtime.
To get back to that marquee NFL game the following year, Ryan would have to come through the NFL’s #1 seed, the Eagles.
It couldn’t be more fitting. Matt Ryan was a Philly kid who loved the Phillies and Eagles.
Born in Exton, he played three years as a starter at William Penn Charter High School and was named All-Southeastern Pennsylvania as a senior. His senior stats included 2,000 yards and 19 scores. He was also a three-team captain in baseball, basketball, and football.
When Matty Ice stood facing the end zone at Lincoln Financial Field in January of 2018, attempting to drive the Falcons down to win the game late in the fourth quarter, down 15–10, he saw a last-minute pass fall incomplete and found himself amid a celebration of Eagles fans.
One month later, when he sat at home and saw his Eagles win the franchise’s first Super Bowl — one has to wonder if he was just happy.
Perhaps just a little bit.
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