Set to enter his 15th NFL season, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is about to set a record. Sure, he’s moving up the all-time passing yardage ranks—he’s on the verge of entering the top five in NFL history—but the signal-caller’s salary is what is about to make league history.
Ryan is set to have a salary cap hit of $48,662,500—the largest for an NFL player in league history.
“Matty Ice’s” cap number balloons from $26,912,500 to $48,662,500 from 2021 to 2022, the fourth year of the five-year, $150 million contract extension he signed in 2018. He’ll account for a $43,612,500 hit next season.
Ryan currently takes up 23.4% of the Falcons’ salary cap space for 2022.
If they release him, the Falcons could save $8,137,500 in cap space this year, and, if they wait until after the 2022 season to move on, the franchise will save $28 million.
Ryan is coming off a year in which he recorded the fewest passing yards in a season (3,968) since 2010 and fewest passing TDs (20) since his rookie season in 2008. His 67% completion rate was the highest for Ryan since 2018, though.
He has thrown for 59,735 yards in his career, the eighth-most in NFL history. He needs 4,354 yards to surpass Ben Roethlisberger for fifth place, which he could feasibly reach next season.
Ryan’s 367 passing touchdowns are ninth all-time, 83 behind Aaron Rodgers for fifth; he needs 33 more to become the eighth player with 400 for his career.
Like most NFL records these days, Ryan’s cap hit will soon be surpassed: Josh Allen currently has an expected cap hit of $51,272,281 in 2025, and Patrick Mahomes will have a $59,950,000 cap hit in 2027.
