Ex-NFL MVP QB reveals why he didn't play this season despite calls from teams

Quarterback and one-time NFL regular-season Most Valuable Player Matt Ryan opened up during Super Bowl week about why he stayed off the field this season. The longtime Atlanta Falcons starter served as an analyst for CBS Sports even though he had opportunities to play for clubs. 

"My agent was wearing me out this season getting calls from different places," Ryan told Ryan Gaydos of Fox Sports. "To me, I was comfortable with what I was doing for CBS. I really enjoyed that part of it this fall. It’s right where my family’s at and family life and those kind of things." 

Ryan played for the Atlanta Falcons from 2008 through the 2021 season before he endured a forgettable 2022 campaign with the Indianapolis Colts that included the 2016 MVP being benched for a time. While it was confirmed last spring that the soon-to-be 38-year-old Ryan was joining CBS, whispers about a potential comeback hovered over his status throughout the summer and into the season.

Ryan eventually confirmed early into the fall that he had "no interest" in playing because he was "enjoying" his work at CBS. Pro Football Talk previously noted that Ryan technically had "an obligation to seek NFL employment and to not refuse reasonable opportunities to play" because of the $12M owed to him by the Colts for this season. 

"I think it made the most sense for me to kinda move on," Ryan added during his conversation with Gaydos. "There’s still that part in the back of your head that feels like you can go play, and I think there’s probably always something as a former athlete. It never got too serious. For me, I really had a blast doing what I was doing this year."

Ryan admitting that he felt like he could "go play" is interesting considering fellow veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco went from watching games on the couch to becoming a savior for the 2023 Cleveland Browns. On Thursday night, Flacco was named the winner of The Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. 

What's done is done, and it sounds like Ryan is comfortable in his current off-the-field endeavors.