Falcons ink Matt Schaub to new two year, $9 million deal to back up Matt Ryan

It appears that Matt Schaub will finish his NFL career in Atlanta, as he just received a two year deal from the Falcons to serve as Matt Ryan’s backup once again.

Schaub was a shaky starter over his last couple of years in that role, but as a veteran backup, he’s far from the worst option available, has a good rapport with Matt Ryan, and certainly is familiar with the offense at this point. The money he’s getting here is about the going rate for a competent backup quarterback, which makes sense when you consider that Mike Glennon is about to get $14-$15 million as a starter.

You’ll recall that the Falcons have said the scheme will change very little under Steve Sarkisian, which is ideal because Schaub has spent a large chunk of his career working in that exact, Kyle Shanahan-helmed system. It’s also an opportunity for his career to go in a nice little circle, as he began as a Falcons draft pick and could wind up as Ryan’s clipboard holder for the same team when he retires.

The money is on the higher end for a backup quarterback, but I’m guessing most of the guaranteed money is going to come up front in 2017, and the Falcons will be able to cut him loose more easily in 2018 if they want to pursue someone else.

It’s not the most thrilling signing—and there are going to be plenty of people angry that Schaub got this deal and Patrick DiMarco walked—but the Falcons have their peace of mind behind Ryan. Now we’ll just hope he never has to play.