Four years after being traded to the Colts and three years after retiring as a player, Matt Ryan is back with the Falcons. And he’s in charge of the entire team.
Via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Ryan will be the primary decision-maker in the Falcons’ organization.
Finley’s report focuses on the notion that the Bears won’t get a pair of compensatory third-round picks if assistant G.M. Ian Cunningham, as a minority candidate, is hired to be Atlanta’s next G.M. But there’s a more significant practical consequence as to Ryan’s reported role.
Regarding any executive with another team who remains under contract, that team can block a move to the Atlanta G.M. position, since it’s not really a G.M. position.
If the report is accurate, Ryan’s power over the football operation could become an impediment to the Falcons’ effort to hire a General Manager. And it could nudge the search toward someone who currently isn’t employed by an NFL team.
