Twice benched last year, QB Matt Ryan joins CBS as analyst, says he’s not giving up on playing again

ATLANTA — Matt Ryan has joined CBS as an analyst, though he’s not giving up on landing with another team as a quarterback.

CBS announced Monday that Ryan, a four-time Pro Bowler and the 2016 NFL MVP with the Atlanta Falcons, will serve as a studio and game analyst across multiple platforms for the upcoming season.

“Excited to join the @NFLonCBS family! Looking forward to breaking down the game this season,” Ryan wrote on his Twitter account.

But, he added, “P.S. - this is not a retirement post.”

The 37-year-old Ryan is coming off a disappointing season with the Indianapolis Colts, who acquired him in a trade last year after he spent 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.

Ryan was twice benched by the Colts and finished the season as the third-string quarterback. He was released in March in a move that saved Indianapolis about $17.2 million in salary cap space for 2023.

After going two months without landing with another team, Ryan decided to give broadcasting a try.

“It is truly an honor to join this exceptional team at CBS Sports,” he said in a statement released by CBS. “I have been blessed to have incredible teammates throughout my career and I am fortunate that will continue here working with and learning from the very best in the industry.”

Ryan is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history, spending nearly all of his 15-year career with the Falcons.

He guided Atlanta to six playoff appearances, three division titles and won the MVP award in 2016 as the Falcons reached the Super Bowl for only the second time in franchise history. They held a 28-3 lead over New England late in the third quarter of the title game, only to have Tom Brady direct a stunning comeback that ended with the Patriots winning 34-28 in overtime.

Ryan and the Falcons never seemed to recover from that disappointment. They made the playoffs the following year but lost at Philadelphia in the divisional round, then went 25-40 over his final four seasons in Atlanta.

With the Falcons in rebuilding mode and needing to shed a huge amount of money under the cap, Ryan was dealt to the Colts for a third-round draft pick.

The Colts had hoped he would be the quarterback who could lead the team to the Super Bowl, but he was benched by coach Frank Reich, regained the starting job after Reich was fired, only to be benched against by interim coach Jeff Saturday after Indy squandered a 33-0 halftime lead in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

He started 12 games for the Colts, completing 67% of his passes for 3,057 yards with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Indianapolis went 4-7-1 with Ryan as the starter and finished 4-12-1.

Over his career, Ryan ranks among the top 10 in NFL history in passing yards (62,792), touchdowns (381), completions (5,551) and attempts (8,464).

CBS plans to use Ryan as a game analyst as well as provide commentary on the “The NFL Today” and other shows across all network platforms.

“As one of the NFL’s marquee quarterbacks for the past 15 years, we’re thrilled to add Matt to our talented roster of NFL analysts,” Howard Bryant, executive producer and executive vice president for CBS Sports, said in a statement. “He has played the game at the highest level, including winning an MVP award and taking his team to the Super Bowl, and will bring a fresh perspective to CBS Sports. We look forward to Matt sharing his knowledge, insight and opinions with our viewers and bolstering our NFL coverage.”