Matt Ryan's New Contract Created Cap Space in 2013

Pat Yasinskas apparently got a look at the specifics of Matt Ryan's new deal. And now we know why Thomas Dimitroff said there's about 7 million in cap space.

The Falcons actually freed up salary-cap room for 2013 with the new deal. The Falcons are $7.7 million under this year’s cap.

Ryan received a $28-million signing bonus. He’ll make $2 million in base salary this year and his cap figure is $9.6 million.

His cap number increases each year, until the last year. But if Yasinskas is relying on accurate information, this is a pretty team-friendly deal. Compare it with Joe Flacco's deal and that's a no-brainer. The same goes for Drew Brees' deal. Tony Romo's deal is more team-friendly, but he sucks at football he's under contract through 2019, and let's be honest, the Cowboys had the upper hand in that negotiation.

All in all, I'm happy his cap hit never exceeds $24 million. To that effect, it only exceeds $20 million in the final two years of the contract. So, if Matt Ryan happens to rise into the sky after the Falcons win the next three Super Bowls, never to be seen again, then everything will sort itself out.

Your thoughts?