Matt Ryan’s futures Julio Jones remain undecided in Atlanta

The Falcons have made it clear after the sacking of coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff that the next coach and general manager will have a major voice in determining the future of key players like quarterback Matt Ryan and the wide receiver Julio Jones.

New coach Arthur Smith recently explained in a video tour with PFT that the evaluations of the two key players, as well as the rest of the roster, had not been done.

“No decision with the staff has been made at this time,” Smith said. “It’s just too early. . . . We are just not going to make quick judgments. There is a long process. We have to come in here with the staff. We have to go through all the guys on this list. And we’ll take our time. There is no decision to be made today. It’s not Matt and Julio, it’s all the players in this lineup.

Owner Arthur Blank has said Ryan will play a role in deciding his future, leaving the door open to a player-initiated divorce, not the team. While chatting with Ryan, did Arthur Smith get the impression that Ryan wanted to stay?

“I don’t want to speak for Matt,” Smith said. “We had good conversations. And I have a lot of respect for Matt. I know what Matt is talking about, the people who work with him. These conversations are ongoing, but I will never speak for any of my players. I will tell them, ‘You have to speak for yourself.’ “

The salary cap, which some say will be $ 180 million in 2021, hangs over Ryan and Jones. Ryan has a cap of $ 40.9 million. Of this amount, $ 17.9 million comes from bonuses and past restructuring. Swapping it would add another $ 26.5 million to that total.

So unless there is an extension that cuts Ryan’s 2021 maximum count, the Falcons will carry a load of more than $ 40 million whether he’s on the squad or not. For Jones, the maximum number will exceed $ 23 million, whether on the team or not.

That’s over $ 63 million for two players. If the cap does drop to $ 180 million, that leaves $ 117 million for the rest of the list. So, anyway, it will be a challenge for the Falcons to be as competitive as they can be in 2021.