The Atlanta Falcons have found the final piece of their new leadership puzzle, introducing Ian Cunningham as the franchise’s new general manager. Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Cunningham talked about how special this opportunity in Atlanta is, since he spent some of his formative years in Roswell, Georgia. He knows how important it is for Atlanta to have a successful Falcons team, and he’s committed to building that.
Cunningham got into the specifics of how he plans to do that building, emphasizing a focus on the trenches and the draft. The first-time general manager acknowledged that Atlanta already has its fair share of talent, but he has to enhance the roster even more. Cunningham made one thing clear, though, he never wants to mortgage the future for the now.
Cunningham: You never want to mortgage the future for the now. You have to be thoughtful and intentional in that approach. #Falcons
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) February 3, 2026
Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham will be thoughtful in his approach to enhance roster
Cunningham made sure to drive home the importance of the draft, saying the more picks the team has, the better. He made it clear that his goal will be for the Falcons to keep their own picks, draft players, develop them, and ultimately sign them to long-term deals. The general manager believes that’s the key to sustained success, and that’s the ultimate goal in Atlanta.
The statement about not mortgaging the future for the now aligns with the emphasis on having draft picks and developing young players. While Cunningham didn't rule out massive trade packages for established veterans, he made clear that those moves can only be made when being extremely thoughtful and intentional.
Understanding that, blockbuster trades may not be a common occurrence during Cunningham‘s tenure. Based on what he said on Tuesday, Falcons fans should expect the bulk of the roster construction to be with homegrown talent.
The good news is that has been a successful method for Atlanta in recent years. The talented players, on both sides of the ball, that made the Falcons such an attractive destination were drafted by the previous regime.
It’s now Ian Cunningham’s turn to build on that foundation and take things to another level. The Falcons believe they now have the right people in place to turn the franchise back into a contender, and time will tell if that’s the case.