Matt Ryan's time in the NFL is over ... or is it. The former quarterback is not eliminating the possibility of taking snaps in the future.
This offseason he joined CBS Sports as an NFL analyst and when a player makes the move from an NFL team to a broadcast team it usually means they are done playing, but Ryan made it clear that he is not retiring.
He would not just take any opportunity, Ryan would want the situation to make sense for him and be the perfect scenario.
When asked what it would take for him to come back, the 38-year-old said (via SiriusXM NFL Radio), "I don't know. This situation, all the stars would have to [align]."
Ryan's approach to potentially joining a team again is: never say never.
"I've just learned, at least during my experience in the 15 years I've played, to just not shut any doors," he said. "That's really the decision behind that. ... I'm excited to kind of take this next step and to move forward, but at the same time, you never know what's going to happen in this league. Anything could shake out, and so we'll see what happens."
The former MVP explained how he landed the job with CBS, saying a visit to the studio and his interactions with the team there lead to his interest in joining the squad.
"I had the opportunity after the season to go up and get in the studio with the crew on NFL Today, and I had a blast doing it," Ryan said. "I really did. I enjoyed being up there with those guys, getting to talk ball beforehand, talk through the show, get on-air, and talk a little bit. I really enjoyed that aspect of it."
Ryan is ready to learn the other side of games as he begins his off-the-field journey.
"The opportunity they presented me with for next season -- where it's a combination of doing some things and getting in the studio and doing some work there, just to really get a feel for how all of this operates and to learn from so many of the professionals that they have there -- it seemed like a good fit, and I'm excited about that," Ryan said, continuing to emphasize that the door is open to go back to playing. "And you never know. I've tried to keep all doors open. We all know this league is crazy, and there is a lot of things that can happen in the course of a season. So I'm excited to be with CBS and really excited to do some of this work this fall."
