Fourteen seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, an NFL MVP, his name in the Ring of Honor and holding every passing record in franchise history just weren’t enough for Matt Ryan. Now, the legendary Falcons quarterback is the first-ever president of football for the organization.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank named Ryan to the post Saturday in what had been a move widely expected around the league for more than a week. Ryan, who has spent the will be considered the primary football executive with the Falcons, a designation usually granted to person holding general manager duties, while the team will now embark on its dual searches for a new head coach and GM.
“His EQ and IQ when it comes to football is extraordinarily high,” Blank said this week of Ryan. “I’ve known Matt personally since 2008, and his family, and he’s an outstanding individual, great community leader and kind of person we certainly would want to consider in that position.”
Ryan spent the past three seasons as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports, on games in 2023 and with The NFL Today in 2024 and 2025.
The Falcons interviewed four other candidates for the president of football position: Carolina’s Brandt Tilis, Detroit’s Mike Disner, San Francisco’s Josh Williams and Chicago’s Ian Cunningham. All four men would, in theory, be candidates for the GM role.
Sources tell CBS Sports the Falcons GM role will be like most other GM positions, including control of the draft and roster. Ryan will have the final say in his post.
But the new and unique setup in Atlanta offers a challenge to a league-directed interview and hiring process as the Falcons take the next step.
Last year, the Tennessee Titans elevated Chad Brinker, who had previously served as assistant GM to Ran Carthon, to president of football operations without a formal interview process. Brinker then led the search to hire general manager Mike Borgonzi. The gray structure did not align with the steps the league had previously laid out as sports teams across the country continue to evolve their front offices. As such, the NFL league office recently took greater control over who has the final say on the “primary football executive” across the 32 clubs. Last week, the Titans announced a more “straightforward” structure between Brinker and Borgonzi.
But what the Titans did over the past year makes things a bit more complicated for the Falcons today. On paper, the vacant Falcons GM job is considered a “secondary football executive” position with the league office, akin to an assistant general manager position on a team. So even though the Falcons GM will be a GM in practice, the job is subject to league rules regarding someone like an AGM right now.
That means the Falcons do not actually have to interview anyone for the GM job. Although highly recommended by the league, teams can fill a secondary football executive position with someone without an interview. But someone as thorough as Blank, who is also proud to represent the NFL shield, wouldn’t allow that even if anyone there wanted to.
For this GM post, the Falcons could not hire someone whose current team remains in the playoffs, according to league rules. (Again, this differs from the Dolphins, who hired Packers executive Jon-Eric Sullivan for their GM position because it is the primary football executive role.) If Atlanta wanted to hire either Cunningham, Tilis or Williams, they would have to wait until the Bears, Panthers or 49ers are done with their postseason run. Disner’s Lions did not make the playoffs, but all this presents another issue.
Those four men all interviewed for a primary football executive role as secondary executives with their current teams, meaning their employers could not block them from accepting the interview. But teams can consider the Falcons GM job a lateral position. If the current team wishes to block the employee from interviewing for this GM job, the team has the right, though sources do view the Falcons’ job as much closer to a traditional GM job than anything else.
The Falcons are also able to interview others for the GM role in the coming days and weeks and very well could do that now that Ryan is installed at the top of the food chain. Cunningham, the Bears’ assistant GM, has been considered a top candidate for the job with his background and resume. Williams, the 49ers’ director of scouting and football operations, is the only person to have interviewed for the two available top personnel gigs this cycle.
Ryan immediately begins his search for the head coach of his franchise. There is clear interest within the team for former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, but sources believe Atlanta will not go all-in on the hot candidate too early.
One early tell is the Falcons’ blocking of defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich from interviewing for other defensive coordinator positions. Atlanta did not block offensive coordinator Zac Robinson from interviewing with the rival Buccaneers, but it is clear Blank and others value Ulbrich at defensive coordinator. That may signal the team will not choose a defensive-minded head coach, at the very least.
Atlanta has until Monday to virtually interview coaches with the Seahawks and Broncos. Beginning early next week, it can virtually interview coaches from wild-card teams, and the Falcons can interview coaches on teams not in the playoffs at any point. In-person interviews with candidates currently employed cannot begin until Jan. 19, though out-of-work coaches can be interviewed at any point.
The Falcons have not made the playoffs in eight seasons, their longest drought since the 1980s. They now turn to the man responsible for the franchise’s greatest on-field success for more of it in the future.