The Atlanta Falcons have made it official, hiring franchise legend Matt Ryan as the team’s president of football Saturday morning.
The role is a new one added to the organization’s front office in recent days, and Ryan will now oversee whoever is hired as the team’s new general manager and head coach. Ryan was widely expected to be hired for this position. He will now lead the searches for both the open head coach and GM roles.
Ryan, 40, had been working as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports, a job he will leave to rejoin the Falcons and longtime owner Arthur Blank. Ryan has no front office experience, but Blank touted his high “EQ and IQ” at a news conference on Thursday, noting that Ryan was able to lead teams to success through multiple regimes.
“Arthur gave me the chance of a lifetime almost 20 years ago, and he’s done it again today,” Ryan said in a statement. “While I appreciate the time I had with the Colts and with CBS, I’ve always been a Falcon. It feels great to be home. I could not be more excited, grateful, or humbled by this new opportunity. I began my career with a singular goal: to do right by the Blank family, the Falcons organization, the city of Atlanta, and especially our fans. My commitment to the success of this franchise has not changed. I’m beyond ready to help write a new chapter of excellence.”
The Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot last Sunday night after a disappointing, 8-9 season. Atlanta has not made the playoffs nor had a winning record since 2017 — when Ryan was the team’s quarterback. Morris was let go after two seasons; Fontenot spent five seasons with the Falcons.
With the news of the departures, Blank also announced the addition of the new president of football role. It will report directly to Blank himself, and the new GM and head coach will report to Ryan. Falcons president Greg Beadles has been elevated to president and CEO and will work with Ryan to make sure the organization’s football and business goals align.
The Falcons also interviewed Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, Detroit Lions COO Mike Disner, San Francisco 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams and Carolina Panthers executive vice president Brandt Tillis for the president of football position.
All of those names are expected to be candidates to fill the open general manager job. Cunningham will be a leading candidate, sources told ESPN. Cunningham currently works in Chicago under Bears GM Ryan Poles, who was a teammate of Ryan at Boston College.
Ryan, a four-time former Pro Bowler, is arguably the greatest player in Falcons history and a potential future Hall of Famer. He took Atlanta to the playoffs five times, including a Super Bowl appearance. Ryan owns the franchise records for career passing yards (59,745) and passing touchdowns (367), among many other statistics.
“Throughout his remarkable 14-year career in Atlanta, Matt’s leadership, attention to detail, knowledge of the game and unrelenting drive to win made him the most successful player in our franchise’s history,” Blank said in a statement. “I am confident those same qualities will be a tremendous benefit to our organization as he steps into this new role. From his playing days to his time as an analyst at CBS, Matt has always been a student of the game, and he brings an astute understanding of today’s NFL, as well as unique knowledge of our organization and this market. I have full confidence and trust in Matt as we strive to deliver a championship caliber team for Atlanta and Falcons fans everywhere.”
