As soon as it was confirmed that Aaron Rodgers would miss the entire 2023 NFL season with a ruptured Achilles, NFL fans started wondering if the New York Jets would reach out to available veteran quarterbacks to gauge their interest in returning.
Matt Ryan, who spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts and is now part of CBS’s NFL broadcasting team, was one of the names bandied about.
Sure enough, the Jets and Ryan’s agent had a discussion, but according to the former NFL MVP, his representative was the one who reached out.
“On Sunday, Ryan confirmed to CBS Sports that his agent had contacted the Jets,” wrote CBS’ Jeff Kerr, who added that the CBS Sports broadcaster said “I love what I’m doing” in his current role.
On Monday, Ryan appeared on CBS Sports HQ and told host Brandon Baylor that while his agent was just “doing his job,” he’s not interested in leaving the booth this year.
"I got no interest in doing that right now."
Our very own @m_ryan02 sets the record straight on his interest in being the next QB of the New York Jets pic.twitter.com/wtuOIn7rqY
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 25, 2023
“No, not on my end,” Ryan said when asked if he was interested in talking to the Jets about a return. “I’m really enjoying what I’m doing working with Andrew [Catalon], Tiki [Barber], and AJ [Ross]. They’ve been fun to work with.
“To clear it up, obviously, my agent is one of the best at what he does. Todd Francis is incredible and he wouldn’t be doing his job if he wasn’t looking into certain situations. But he and I talked and I’ve got no interest in doing that right now. I’m enjoying what I’m doing.”
We’ll take Ryan at his word here. If the Jets’ situation wasn’t enough to get him back on the football field, it’s hard to imagine any other situation would.
That said, if his agent still has the green light to contact teams in need of a quarterback, it’s reasonable to assume that there is either a number or a situation that would get Ryan out of the booth and back on the field.
