Marc RaimondiJan 10, 2026, 10:05 AM ET
- Marc Raimondi's first year covering the Falcons was 2024, but it wasn't his first year at ESPN. He joined the company in 2019 and was a top combat sports reporter. He also covered professional wrestling and wrote the book "Say Hello to the Bad Guys: How Pro Wrestling's New World Order Changed America," which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2025. Raimondi also worked for the New York Post and Newsday, beginning in 2009, covering high school and college sports, plus the NFL, NFL, MLB and NHL.
The Atlanta Falcons have made it official, hiring franchise legend Matt Ryan as the team's president of football Saturday morning.
The role is a new one added to the organization's front office in recent days, and Ryan was widely expected to be hired for this position. He will now lead the searches for both the open head coach and GM roles and will have oversight of whoever is hired.
Ryan, 40, had been working as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports, a job he will leave to rejoin the Falcons and longtime owner Arthur Blank. Ryan has no front office experience, but Blank touted his high "EQ and IQ" at a news conference Thursday, noting that Ryan was able to lead teams to success through multiple regimes.
"Arthur gave me the chance of a lifetime almost 20 years ago, and he's done it again today," Ryan said in a statement. "While I appreciate the time I had with the Colts and with CBS, I've always been a Falcon. It feels great to be home."
The Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot on Sunday night after a disappointing 8-9 season. Atlanta has not made the playoffs or had a winning record since 2017 -- when Ryan was the team's quarterback. Morris was let go after two seasons; Fontenot spent five seasons with the Falcons.
With the news of the departures, Blank also announced the addition of the new president of football role that will report directly to Blank. Falcons president Greg Beadles has been elevated to president and CEO and will work with Ryan to make sure the organization's football and business goals align.
The Falcons also interviewed Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, Detroit Lions COO Mike Disner, San Francisco 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams and Carolina Panthers executive vice president Brandt Tillis for the president of football position.
All those names are expected to be candidates for the general manager job. Cunningham will be a leading candidate, sources told ESPN. Cunningham currently works in Chicago under Bears general manager Ryan Poles, who was a teammate of Ryan at Boston College.
Ryan, a four-time Pro Bowler, is arguably the greatest player in Falcons history and a potential future Hall of Famer. He took Atlanta to the playoffs five times, including a Super Bowl appearance. Ryan owns franchise records for career passing yards (59,745) and passing touchdowns (367), among many other statistics.
"Throughout his remarkable 14-year career in Atlanta, Matt's leadership, attention to detail, knowledge of the game and unrelenting drive to win made him the most successful player in our franchise's history," Blank said in a statement. "I am confident those same qualities will be a tremendous benefit to our organization as he steps into this new role."
