Key takeaways
1. Ryan’s mission remains the same.
Ryan spent 14 seasons as the Falcons’ starting quarterback from 2008-21 and was part of the most successful run in team history. During his tenure, the Falcons had their first back-to-back winning seasons, went to the playoffs six times and appeared in the Super Bowl once. He compiled a winning 120-102 record overall and was named league MVP in 2016.
The Falcons, though, have not made the playoffs since 2017.
The main reason Blank brought Ryan back was to change that.
“This role and this responsibility is primarily involved with one thing: winning football games,” Blank said. “We have to win football games. That’s our goal. That’s Matt’s major job.”
“My mission since I was drafted has never changed,” Ryan said. “It’s to help this organization do everything it can to be champions and to win championships.”
The Falcons have made the Super Bowl twice – in 1998 without Ryan and in 2016 with Ryan — but the franchise has never won the Lombardi Trophy.
“There is a sense of unfinished business,” Ryan said.
2. Where Ryan will fit into the decision-making process.
Ryan’s primary charge at this time is leading the search committee and conducting interviews for head coach and general manager.
“We’re going to come together; we’re going to work collaboratively, and we’ll make a recommendation to Mr. Blank of what we think.”
The head coach and general manager will then report directly to Ryan. And while he may have final authority, Ryan isn’t here to make all of their decisions. He’s more around to provide guidance.
“Matt’s made it clear to me: He has no desire to do their job,” Blank said. “The coach will pick the coaches, assistant coaches, coordinators, etc. GM will style out their whole organization, helping to draft and free agency, etc.”
Ryan, of course, will be involved, but he will not lead those discussions. The typical responsibilities assigned to a head coach or general manager will remain the same, even with this new position in place.
“The general manager role is going to be exactly the same as what it’s been here before,” Ryan said. “That’s something we’ve made clear to everybody on the coaching side that we’ve met with up until this point, and we’ll make clear through that process to the general managers that we’re going to look at in that process as well.”
The same goes for the head coach’s role.
“I’m not trying to call plays,” Ryan said. “I’m not trying to run your offense. I’m not trying to pull Philip Rivers and come back and play. Not doing any of those.
“I think most importantly, I’m trying to get the right person in here in both of those positions.”
3. Why Ryan believes he’s a good fit for this position.
Ryan did not return to Atlanta with any front office experience. After hanging up his cleats in 2023, Ryan joined CBS as an NFL analyst. He worked there until he accepted the Falcons’ job.
However, those three years, paired with his 15 years as a player, set him up well for the expectations outlined by Blank moving forward.
Ryan was the Falcons’ starting quarterback from 2008-21 and then for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. He operated under four head coaches and two interim coaches, along with three general managers.
“I think when you are quarterback of an organization for a long time, the interactions that you have with the head coach and the meetings that you sit in in their office and talk about all the different things that are going on with the football team and decisions that need to be made or alterations in a plan or in a season of maybe changing directions, it’s different from other players,” Ryan said. “So, I feel really well-versed in those conversations and I feel like I’ve done it with a number of different guys that I have a lot of respect for and seen it from a lot of different angles.
“I think the same can be true on the front office side of it. The longer I was here, the more discussions that were had. It was never I was going to be a part of the decision, but I was asked for my opinion, and I was asked to interact with them.
“So, I think some of those things will inform what I’m doing now.”
4. What Ryan is looking for in a head coach and general manager.
It doesn’t matter whether a candidate has a defensive or offensive background. The Falcons are searching for “the best football coach.” That evaluation, for Ryan, begins with identifying the following three traits: character, emotional stability and a presence that commands respect.
“I view it from the lens of what I always wanted and what I needed from coaches and some of the best that I was around,” Ryan said.
Six candidates have officially interviewed for head coach and Beadles said there are “a few more” scheduled this week. The Falcons have not interviewed anyone for general manager yet, but they’re “working on that process, going through lists and will be getting to that soon.” The searches will then be concurrent, which was the initial intent.
“It’s important we land these planes about the same time,” Blank said.
Ryan didn’t have specific traits in mind for a general manager, but he did have a clear idea for how that role works in conjunction with the team’s head coach.
“I think you’re looking for two people that don’t see the game polar opposite,” he said. “It’s difficult if you’ve got just a different view on how to best move forward. So, we’re looking for people that are aligned in that vision. We’re looking for people that work well together. And that doesn’t mean best friends. You’ve got to have a professional and really strong working relationship. Sometimes that comes with seeing things a little bit differently, but the best of the best find ways to get to common ground.”
5. Ryan shares thoughts on the current Falcons roster.
The new league year doesn’t begin until March 11, so the Falcons’ current roster is by no means set in stone. There are some pieces, though, that should remain into next season. And Ryan already sees potential with the talent in place.
“I believe there’s a lot,” he said. “There’s a lot of young, talented players on the defensive side of the ball. We’ve got some offensive linemen who are really, really solid — some of which I played with, which is kind of crazy but really cool. I think we’ve got a special running back in Bijan (Robinson) and what he can do as a player. We’ve got some talented pieces on the outside.”
Ryan spoke separately about Michael Penix Jr. — “I love Mike” — who he has personally gotten to know over the last couple of years. Penix will be entering his third season as the Falcons’ expected franchise quarterback in 2026 and returning from the knee surgery he underwent in November of 2025.
“The next thing in front of Mike is the rehab process, and he’s already at it,” Ryan said. “I was in here yesterday morning and walking around, grabbing breakfast, walking back up to hop into a meeting, and he was in there getting after his rehab. So, he’s in a good mental space right there and is doing exactly what he should be doing right now.”
Additional notes:
— Ryan’s hiring received a nod of approval from the head of the NFL.
- “During this process, I had a chance to chat with commissioner Roger Goodell and made him aware we were chatting with Matt,” Blank said. “His response was, ‘You’re not going to find anyone better.'”
— This is essentially Ryan’s fifth contract with the Falcons since getting drafted with the No. 3 overall pick in 2008.
- “I think I’m the first player you’ve signed to five different contracts,” Ryan said to Blank. “That’s three as a player, the one day I retired and now this one. I appreciate the confidence in me along the way.”
— Ryan saw Penix at the facility recently and said the following about his ongoing rehab process: “He’s in a good mental state right there and doing exactly what he should be doing right now.”
Most quotable moment: “I didn’t know much about the city before we got here,” Ryan said. “Now here we are, however many years later, and it’s home. It really is. The people in the city have made it home. The Falcons have made it home. The people of this organization have made it home.”
What’s next: This Falcons trio will continue to prepare, schedule and conduct interviews for the vacancies at head coach and general manager. Follow the official tracker.
