No reports linked the San Francisco 49ers to Matt Ryan, other than head coach Kyle Shanahan's past success working with the Atlanta Falcons quarterback. Thanks to a report by Tom Pelissero, the speculation can stop. The NFL Network insider states that the Falcons have no intention of trading their veteran quarterback or top wide receiver (h/t to Patrick Tulini).
From Super Bowl Live: Amidst a crazy offseason for QBs, don't expect the #Falcons' Matt Ryan to go anywhere. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/8AWQ1kmE7i
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 2, 2021
"From what I am told, Matt Ryan is not going anywhere," Pelissero said Tuesday on-air. "The Falcons have not had any trade conversations with any other team about Ryan or their star wide receiver, Julio Jones, and every expectation is both players are going to be on the roster in 2021.
"It makes sense for a couple of reasons. One, the Falcons just hired a head coach, Arthur Smith, who's going to run a variation of the same offense in which Ryan won the MVP four years ago (with then-offensive coordinator Shanahan). And number two, there would be a significant cap penalty for moving on from either of these players. Ryan alone would count over $44 million in dead money on the 2021 cap if he were traded before June 1."
It's starting to seem more certain that Jimmy Garoppolo will be the 49ers quarterback for the 2021 season, as Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have previously indicated.
"Jimmy, you can win with," Shanahan said in December. "He's proven that. He's proven he's a starting quarterback in this league."