NFL

Ryan still has two years left on his rookie contract, but with deals for the league's elite quarterbacks only getting more expensive, the Falcons have little reason to wait until 2014 to lock up their franchise signal caller. Despite being criticized by some for slower than expected development, Ryan posted career highs nearly across the board in 2011. With Julio Jones having a year of experience under his belt and the Falcons expected to improve their run game, Ryan's numbers have nowhere to go but up in 2012.