Matt Ryan, new GM Ian Cunningham bring aligned vision to Falcons front office

ATLANTA — In the search for the Atlanta Falcons general manager, newly appointed president of football Matt Ryan set out to find someone committed to building a smart, tough and physical football team.

He believes he's found that with Ian Cunningham.

Cunningham was the third and final hire of the front office and head coach trifecta to emphasize the importance of those attributes.

“We’re going to be smart, tough, physical — mentally and physically tough,” he said on Tuesday, echoing the previous sentiments of Ryan and new coach Kevin Stefanski. “That’s what we’re going to be built on.”

Cunningham comes off a four-year stint with the Chicago Bears, where he served as the franchise’s assistant general manager. Before landing in Chicago, he spent five years with the Eagles in various scouting and player personnel roles, contributing to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory in the 2017 season.

He began his NFL front office career as a player personnel assistant in Baltimore in 2008. He spent five years in that role before taking on various scouting positions.

Cunningham’s extensive scouting history and experience under top-tier GMs set him apart in the eyes of Ryan and the search committee.

“We are really excited about all of those experiences. He learned from incredible general managers during those stops, whether that be Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta in Baltimore, Howie Roseman in Philadelphia and Ryan Poles in Chicago,” Ryan said. “One of the biggest selling points for us on Ian was his experience in all areas of scouting. He has touched it all.”

It’s a homecoming for Cunningham, who moved from Texas to Georgia at a young age when his father accepted a job on the Atlanta Olympic Committee for the 1996 Summer Games. The Cunningham family resided in Roswell, roughly 30 minutes north of downtown Atlanta.

“(I was) this husky kid in my kitchen trying to do the 'Dirty Bird,'” Cunningham recalled. “Growing up here, the city was electric. It was during the mid-90s with the Olympics and the Braves, so those are core memories that I hope I can be a small part of bringing back to the city.”

Cunningham succeeds Terry Fontenot, who was the Falcons GM from 2021 through 2025. Atlanta fired Fontenot alongside coach Raheem Morris after an 8-9 season in 2025.