Matt Ryan was back in the Atlanta Falcons building on Friday. So were the Ryan twins, referred to notably as “The Ice Cubes” on social media.
The AJC’s D. Orlando Ledbetter reported that Ryan and his sons visited Falcons training camp on August 4.
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith shared with reporters how much he enjoyed having Ryan visit the team.
“We love Matt,” Smith said. “I enjoyed the year I got to work with him. We have kids of similar age and he doesn’t live that far from me. I love having Matt out here.”
Ryan’s visit is notable since it was only a year ago that the team dealt him to the Indianapolis Colts after failing to land Deshaun Watson in a trade. It remains unclear if Ryan requested a trade, but the assumption is that’s what happened after the Falcons tried to replace the quarterback.
Ryan struggled in his one season with the Colts. He averaged just 6.6 yards per pass, which was his lowest average since 2010. He also had 14 touchdowns versus 13 interceptions and a career-high 15 fumbles.
The 2016 MVP led the Colts to a 4-7-1 record. However, the team went 0-5 without Ryan in the lineup.
In May, CBS hired Ryan as an analyst. He has not officially retired, but his visit to the Falcons is, of course, no indication of a come back. He was visiting old friends with his family and perhaps gathering intel for the beginning of his broadcasting career.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank shared that he expects to see more of Ryan at the team’s facility.
“We love Matt, I think he loves Atlanta, he loves the Falcons and I think when his playing career is over, whenever that officially becomes over, I think you’ll see even more of him,” said Blank.
“We have a great relationship with him, and I wish him all the luck now with his new role with CBS. I think he’ll do great at it. He’s articulate, you can be articulate but not smart. He’s really smart and he’s articulate and I think he’ll do a great job with CBS.”
