Updated Jan. 29, 2026, 10:24 p.m. ET
The Atlanta Falcons officially hired Ian Cunningham as their new general manager on Thursday evening. Cunningham, the former assistant GM for the Chicago Bears, was one of six candidates to interview for the position, and one of just two to land a follow up meeting.
Just like that, the Falcons have filled their two biggest roles. Kevin Stefanski will take over for Raheem Morris as head coach, and Cunningham replaces former GM Terry Fontenot in the front office. The team also hired Matt Ryan for its new president of football role.
Ryan released a statement on the Falcons’ decision to hire Cunningham as general manager.
Matt Ryan’s statement on new GM Ian Cunningham
“It was evident through our rigorous interview process Ian was the right choice for our general manager position,” wrote Ryan. “His vision for our team and organization aligned exactly with the type of leader we were seeking to help take the Falcons to the next level. Throughout Ian’s career, including Super Bowl championships in Baltimore and Philadelphia, Ian has demonstrated the drive and focus it takes to build championship contenders and put them in the position to win games. We love his broad and deep experience across every aspect of talent evaluation and know he’s learned from some of the best in the league. Pairing him with Coach Stefanski is exciting for us, and we can’t wait to see them bring our shared vision to life in everything we do starting right now.”
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Next up, many around the league expect the Falcons to release veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. We’ll see what Cunningham has up his sleeve for his first move as Atlanta’s GM.
