The Indianapolis Colts have secured the services of quarterback Matt Ryan. The veteran, however, is expected to pay dividends as a long-term solution rather than just a placeholder.

Munich – Eight teams added a quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft, and the Indianapolis Colts are not among them. Instead, the franchise signed longtime Falcons playmaker Matt Ryan last month.

But if team owner Jim Irsay has his way, the 36-year-old won’t simply be a placeholder until a younger and better signal caller comes along. Instead, “Matty Ice” is expected to become a longtime starter for the franchise.

“We’re hoping Matt can be here for four years, maybe,” Irsay told “ESPN. “We definitely have our eye on a young guy who can be the long-term future. “

Colts rave about Matt Ryan

Stability at the playmaker position would be extremely important for the Colts. Over the past five years, the team has relied on six different quarterbacks. According to “NFL Research”, Indianapolis is also the only team in league history to have four different signal callers play at least 15 games in four consecutive seasons.

Before last season, the team tried to bring in stability with the signing of Carson Wentz – without success. The Colts missed the playoffs despite being in the best position, Wentz is now with the Washington Commanders.

On the surface, signing Ryan could be similar to signing Philip Rivers in 2020. However, Irsay doesn’t want to hear about that, “Matt is different than Philip. It’s not like drafting Andrew Luck, but it’s different to Philip. We knew Philip would be a one-year thing, but Matt we see as a three-year thing. But who knows. It’s hard to put a number on it.”

In the short term, anyway, people are excited about the new quarterback. Offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, among others, raved that Ryan is almost like a coach himself.