Does Matt Ryan deserve to be an NFL Hall of Famer?

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan may be entering his final year in the NFL coming into next season.

The soon-to-be 37-year-old quarterback has some questioning if he deserves to be considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

If you look at Matt Ryan's numbers, you would say yes. Matt Ryan has thrown for nearly 60,000 yards and 367 touchdowns, compared to just 170 interceptions.

He is also an NFL MVP and also Offensive Player of the Year in 2016, the same year he led the Falcons to the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.

Ryan's career stats are better than NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath. In his career, Namath only threw for 27,663 yards and had more interceptions than touchdowns in his career.

The big difference between the two is that Namath has a Super Bowl ring. Many have said and believe, to this day, that the main reason Namath is in the Hall of Fame is not because of his stats, but because of how he changed the game.

When the New York Jets won the Super Bowl over the Baltimore Colts, it forced the NFL to merge with the AFL, which the Jets were part of, and it changed the game forever.

What could keep Matt Ryan out of the Hall of Fame?

Buffalo Bills v Miami Dolphins

As good as Ryan has been as a quarterback, what could keep him out is his lack of championships.

Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, like Namath, doesn't have better stats than Ryan, but the difference is he won 3 Super Bowls with the Cowboys.

Ryan's legacy and Hall of Fame induction may rely on if he wins a Super Bowl. The good news for him is there are several quarterbacks who are in the Hall of Fame who have never won a Super Bowl.

One of those quarterbacks is Dan Marino. Marino only went to the Super Bowl once in his career, and that was in 1984 with the Miami Dolphins, but he is considered, to this day, to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, NFL passer of all-time.

Marino threw for over 61,000 yards, just 1,000 more than Ryan, and he threw for 420 touchdowns in his career. He, also, at one point, owned several NFL passing records.

Marino, making it into the Hall of Fame, despite never winning a championship, bodes well for Matt Ryan to get into the Hall of Fame, and it's more than likely he will be voted in when his time comes.