Clear favorites emerge for Falcons front office roles

In his press conference yesterday, Arthur Blank said the President of Football will be hired first, and that person will help select the team’s next general manager and head coach. The coaching search, as always, is expected to be extensive, with a handful of candidates already lined up for the initial round of interviews. As for the searches for the Falcons next President of Football and general manager, there appear to be clear frontrunners.

Matt Ryan has long been considered the favorite for the President of Football position. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini confirmed that in a report Friday morning, adding that Bears general manager Ryan Poles — a former teammate of the legendary Falcons quarterback at Boston College — has been helping him throughout the hiring process.

It’s widely believed around the NFL that Matt Ryan will indeed become the Falcons’ new president of football.
Ryan & Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles are very close friends, dating back to their playing days at BC. I’m told Poles has been helping Ryan on the entire hiring process.

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 9, 2026

Poles’ relationship with Ryan is very important and could play a huge role in who the Falcons ultimately hire as their next general manager. Chicago assistant GM Ian Cunningham is on the short list of candidates for Atlanta’s vacant GM position, with many reporters calling him the favorite — likely because of Ryan’s close relationship with Poles.

Nothing is certain until the signatures are on the dotted line. Falcons fans should know that all too well after enduring countless coaching and GM searches in recent years, but things do appear to be trending toward Matt Ryan becoming the team’s next President of Football with Ian Cunningham taking over as general manager.

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Photo: Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire

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