The Pro Football Hall of Fame is one of the hardest honors for an NFL player to achieve. Established in 1963, the exclusive club has only 382 members. Of those, just 23 are modern-era quarterbacks. Names like Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning and Steve Young set the bar for what it takes to make it to Canton.
But with a name like Tom Brady waiting in the wings for his selection, we take a look at one of his chief rivals and one-time Super Bowl opponent, Matt Ryan. The Atlanta Falcons superstar was one of the most consistent signal-callers of his era. Today, we dissect his career and figure out the exact timeline for his potential call-up to the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame Case for Matt Ryan
With offers from Purdue, Georgia and Connecticut, Ryan chose Boston College, where he spent five years. After a slow start, he earned the starting job in 2007 and broke out right away.
He passed for 4,507 yards and 31 touchdowns that season, winning both the Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was also named ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year. Boston College later retired his No. 12 jersey.
Making his way to the NFL, he was among the best prospects in the 2008 draft and was taken third overall by the Atlanta Falcons. From there, he spent 14 years with the team, earning virtually every Falcons franchise record. A four-time Pro Bowler, he led the league in passer rating and completion percentage in separate years.
However, his best year was unquestionably the 2016 season when he won the Offensive Player of the Year as well as the MVP, before leading the Falcons to an appearance in Super Bowl 51, the infamous 28-3 game.
During his time in Atlanta, he compiled 10 consecutive seasons with over 4,000 passing yards, including 4,994 yards in his MVP year. At the end of his tenure with the Falcons, he signed with the Indianapolis Colts for one year before officially calling it quits in 2022.
Since then, his Hall of Fame case has been a hot topic of debate. During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show over the summer, Ryan was relatively subdued in making his case. “The numbers are pretty good,” is all he said for a career that saw him total over 62,000 passing yards and 381 touchdowns.
On Pro Football Reference’s Hall of Fame monitor, he snagged a 106.05 rating, far ahead of the 103.58 average that all other quarterbacks in Canton have. While not the final verdict, it could signal what the future holds for Ryan.
When Is Ryan Eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Officially retiring at the end of the 2022 season, Ryan would become eligible for a spot in the Hall of Fame class of 2028. With the criteria standing at five years from retirement, it would put him in a class that is already shaping up to be one of the most stacked ones of all time.
Defensive legends like Aaron Donald and JJ Watt could be part of the class. However, the biggest name joining the group would be a player Ryan is all too familiar with, Tom Brady.
