The Falcons have a new president of football in Matt Ryan, who landed the job on Jan. 10 despite a lack of front office experience. The former Falcons and Colts quarterback and ex-CBS analyst immediately took on the task of finding a new general manager and head coach for Atlanta. Both positions are vacant after owner Arthur Blank fired Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris on the heels of a second straight 8-9 season.
The Falcons’ head coach and GM searches are occurring concurrently, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The team would prefer to hire a head coach before a GM, though, Albert Breer of SI.com says. That isn’t a surprise, as Ryan is already in place as the de facto GM.
Blank said last week that Ryan has “final decision-making authority,” meaning he’ll outrank Fontenot’s replacement. However, Ryan insists Atlanta’s next GM will not be a figurehead.
“The final decisions that I am going to have to make is who we hire, but we are empowering (the HC and GM) to go out there and do their job and I have expressed that in the interviews that we have had,” Ryan stated (via Josh Kendall of The Athletic).
Ryan hasn’t conducted any GM interviews, but some of the candidates he beat out for his job may be in the running, per Ledbetter. Lions chief operating officer Mike Disner, Panthers executive vice president of operations Brandt Tilis, 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams, and Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham interviewed for the president of football position. Those meetings also counted as GM interviews, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports (via Scott Bair of Marquee Sports). It’s unclear if the Falcons will hold more discussions with anyone from that group.
Turning to the Falcons’ head coaching search, Blank revealed that Ryan has led the interviews (via Ledbetter). Ryan has met with eight candidates so far, including John Harbaugh, but he’ll come off the board when he finalizes an agreement with the Giants. Here’s the entire group the Falcons have considered so far, courtesy of PFR’s HC Search Tracker:
- Aden Durde, defensive coordinator (Seahawks): Interviewed 1/10
- Ejiro Evero, defensive coordinator (Panthers): Interview requested
- Jeff Hafley, defensive coordinator (Packers): Interviewed 1/15
- John Harbaugh, former head coach (Ravens): Interviewed 1/12; second interview canceled
- Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator (Broncos): Interview requested
- Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator (Seahawks): Interviewed 1/10
- Mike McDaniel, former head coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/12
- Jesse Minter, defensive coordinator (Chargers): Interviewed 1/15
- Antonio Pierce, former head coach (Raiders): To interview
- Robert Saleh, defensive coordinator (49ers): Interview requested
- Kevin Stefanski, former head coach (Browns): Interviewed 1/11; seen as a frontrunner
- Anthony Weaver, defensive coordinator (Dolphins): Interviewed 1/10
Coaches with defensive backgrounds comprise the majority of the list. That’s OK with Ryan, who said he’s not pushing for an offensive-minded hire (via Kendall). When Ryan makes his pick, he won’t meddle into how that individuals puts together a coaching staff. Rather, Blank said Ryan will enable the coach to pick his assistants, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports relays. Blank has made it clear he’d prefer for the next head coach to retain defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. However, if Morris’ successor doesn’t want to keep Ulbrich, it seems he’ll be allowed to hire a different D-coordinator.
I seriously can’t stop laughing at the picture. Love Matty ice but he looks like a Bond villain in this pic lmao
They are also following the Chicago Bears FO failure playbook chapter and verse by doing it backwards. This probably doomed from the start.
Seriously. He looks like he could play a multiverse version of Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin character.
The photo doesn’t show his hands but I guarantee he’s wearing Isotoners.
I guess we now know that Fontenot wasn t the problem. in most sane organizations, the GM is the #1 and the coach is #2.
That hasn’t been true in decades. A lot of coaches these days being interviewed have preferred guys they want as GM.
Seems like hiring a GM should definitely be their 1st move, but NO! They got these firms in the room with them giving them advice about everything! Which shoe should I put on first? I want to have at least one shoe on while I’m picking out my socks! They got too many people involved! It’s probably a room full of people that are not as smart as the ones that come in to clean up after them!