Falcons Part Ways With Exec Chris Olsen, Hire Eagles’ Bryce Johnston
The Falcons are continuing to reshape their front office under new vice president of football operations Matt Ryan and general manager Ian Cunningham. The latest change is the departure of senior director of football administration Chris Olsen, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Olsen is a longtime NFL executive who began his career working for the NFL Management Council. In 2007, he was hired as the Texans’ senior vice president of football administration, a post he held until his firing in 2020. He then joined the Falcons the following year and played a key role negotiating contracts and managing Atlanta’s tight cap situation over the last several years.
Replacing Olson will be Eagles senior vice president/tertiary football executive Bryce Johnston, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He spent the last decade working under one of the league’s preeminent contract/cap experts in Howie Roseman, which included the execution of major deals with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and several others.
Johnston overlapped with new Falcons GM Ian Cunningham in Philly. Johnston will now take that expertise to Atlanta where he will manage the salary cap, lead contract negotiations, and handle similar roster-related duties under the Falcons’ new regime.
The Falcons are also overhauling their scouting department. The team has parted ways with scouts Alex Brown, Ben Martinez, and Shepley Heard, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Brown joined the team just last year, while Martinez arrived in 2023. Heard was previously Atlanta’s director of pro personnel under former general manager Thomas Dimitroff, but was demoted to an area scout role when Terry Fontenot took over in 2021.
Falcons Make Front Office Changes
The Falcons have made some changes to their staff, but new GM Terry Fontenot will also keep some big names from the previous regime on the payroll going forward.
Former GMs Phil Emery and Ruston Webster will remain with the Falcons, with the team shifting the pair from scouting roles to spots as senior personnel executives. Emery, the Bears’ GM from 2012-14, and Webster, the Titans’ GM from 2012-15, joined Thomas Dimitroff‘s staff in 2016 as scouts. Emery has worked in the NFL since 1998; Webster’s tenure in the league dates back to 1988.
Additionally, the Falcons are promoting Michael Ross and Tokunbo Abanikanda from area scouts to the national level. Ross has been with the Falcons since Dimitroff’s second year, rising up from the entry level to his current national scout post. Abanikanda, a 10-year Falcons staffer, has done the same since joining the team. Emery and Webster worked as national scouts during Dimitroff’s final five seasons.
Fontenot will also keep other Dimitroff-era staffers, though some will see their roles reduced. Former Chiefs assistant GM Joel Collier will move from national scout to area scout, while Shepley Heard will go from director of pro personnel down to area scout. Heard has been with the Falcons since 2005. Additionally, Benjamin Martinez will follow Fontenot over from New Orleans. A 12-year Saints staffer who worked as a video assistant for the past four years, Martinez will join the Falcons as a BLESTO scout. BLESTO scouts often do advance work on future draft classes.