The Falcons have been set at the quarterback position since 2008. That’s a long stretch for any NFL team, and the continued presence of franchise quarterback Matthew Thomas Ryan is a true blessing. I don’t want to contemplate a Falcons depth chart that doesn’t include Ryan as the QB1. He’s an elite quarterback that should one day have a place in the Hall of Fame. (That is, unless the current regime figures out a way to keep him out.) And that’s, Falcons fans, why he makes the big bucks.

Twitter user Chris Harper took note of an interesting Falcons “fun fact” recently.

@TheFalcoholic Fun Fact, the Falcons have the #5 (Ryan) and #11 (Schaub ?!?) top QB earners in NFL history on their roster.https://t.co/yjSUIkUzxs — Chris Harper (@Quaroath) March 31, 2020

The complete list can be found here, if you’re interested.

When it comes to Ryan, it’s easy to understand how he got so high on the list. Ryan came into his own at a time when quarterback salaries ballooned enormously. In fact, in 2018, the Falcons made Ryan the first quarterback in NFL history to average $30 million a year.

As for Schaub, he’s been in the NFL for 15 years. 15 years. That’s a long time, and for what it’s worth, only about $12.5 million of the approximately $92.4 million he’s made as an NFL quarterback came from the Falcons.

Your thoughts, Falcoholics?