Jan. 30, 2026, 6:06 a.m. ET
After interviewing six different candidates, the Atlanta Falcons officially hired Ian Cunningham as their new general manager on Thursday night. Cunningham, the former Chicago Bears assistant general manager, was one of two candidates to land a second interview.
Ultimately, it came down to Cunningham and Houston Texans assistant GM James Liipfert, but the Bears assistant clearly separated himself in the interview process. Cunningham will now take over for former Falcons GM Terry Fontenot.
“As a Falcons fan growing up in Roswell when the Dirty Birds were rolling, the Braves were on fire and the city was hosting the Summer Olympics, I lived the passion of Atlanta sports fans and I can’t wait to be part of bringing that fire and energy back to the city,” Cunningham said in a statement. “It’s been incredible to build a relationship with Matt over the last several weeks and to have an immediate connection with Kevin. I can’t wait to work with both of these great football minds to put a team on the field everyone will be very excited about. We all share the same vision for what the Atlanta Falcons should and will be and it’s time to work.”
While the team has no first-round pick in 2026 and just $17 million in salary cap space before the expected release of quarterback Kirk Cousins, Atlanta’s roster has an impressive amount of talent on both sides of the ball.
So, what did those around the NFL say about the Falcons’ decision to hire Cunningham?
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.NFL world reacts to Falcons hiring GM Ian Cunningham
