The Atlanta Falcons restructured the contract of quarterback Matt Ryan to allow the team to go shopping more vigorously in free agency.
According to Field Yates of ESPN.com, the Falcons converted $8.75 million of Ryan’s base salary for 2019 into signing bonus. The move creates an additional $7 million in cap space for this season while deferring $1.75 million a year in cap charges over the remaining four years of the contract.
The Falcons were among the bottom quarter of the league in terms of available salary cap space. The additional space may have been pivotal to Atlanta in their desire to add guards James Carpenter and Jamon Brown.
Ryan signed a new five-year extension with the Falcons last May. This fall represents the first year of that new agreement.
