Colts release Matt Ryan after 1 season

The Indianapolis Colts released veteran quarterback Matt Ryan after one season, the team announced Wednesday.

The former NFL MVP joined the Colts last year in a trade from the Atlanta Falcons. However, Ryan failed to live up to the hype as Indianapolis went 4-12-1 and finished the season with the league's 30th-ranked offense. Indianapolis will free up $17 million in cap space with the move.

It's unclear what's next for the 37-year-old Ryan, who's now seven years removed from his last Pro Bowl season. The four-time Pro Bowler registered a 67% completion rate with only 3,057 yards and 14 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 12 appearances last year.

Ryan spent his first 14 NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons after being drafted third overall in 2008. He passed for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns in 2016, being named league MVP and helping the Falcons reach Super Bowl LI.

The Boston College product is the Falcons' all-time passing leader, having tossed 59,735 yards and 367 touchdowns in 222 regular-season starts.

The Colts, who roster quarterbacks Nick Foles and Sam Ehlinger, are expected to select a QB in next month's draft. Indianapolis owns the fourth overall pick in 2023.

Ehlinger and Foles started three and two games in 2022, respectively.

Copyright (C) 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.