Matt Ryan is leaving the Atlanta Falcons after 14 seasons in which he became the best quarterback in Falcons franchise history.

Ryan and the Colts are restructuring his contract. The two years and $53.9 million remaining on his contract are also guaranteed, which helps Indianapolis reduce its cap.

Since being drafted No. 3 overall in 2008 by the Falcons, Ryan has been a stalwart for the team.

Matt Ryan:

Matt Ryan:

A two-year contract with quarterback Marcus Mariota was quickly agreed upon by the Falcons to replace Ryan.

Falcons will receive their original third-round pick in exchange for Colts quarterback Matt Ryan, No. 82 overall.

The trade will leave the Falcons with a dead-money charge of $40.525 million on their salary cap for this season. This is the largest known dead-money charge for any player ever.

Ryan completed 69.9% of his passes for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 2016. He was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player.

Matt Ryan, the star football quarterback, had a cap hit off over $48 million, making him potentially expendable.