Ian Rapoport just confirmed Adam Schefter's massive Matt Ryan bombshell

After the Atlanta Falcons fired Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot last night, the silent belief was that Matt Ryan had his fingerprints all over this move. The ex-MVP quarterback was reported to be joining the Falcons' front office in a role that works closely with Arthur Blank, and we now know what that is.

Arthur Blank broke his silence on the matter by revealing that the Dirty Birds will be hiring a president of football operations, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport confirmed the expectation that Matty Ice will be the man called upon to take on that position while kickstarting the search for a new regime.

The process has yet to truly play out, but Ryan and the Falcons have been in talks about this move for a few weeks now, which led Rapoport to reveal that he's been in the building as discussions have progressed, meaning that it's a foregone conclusion of who will now be calling the shots in Atlanta.

Matt Ryan is practically running the Falcons' search for a new regime

The Falcons finished 8-9 in each of last two seasons, which clearly wasn't good enough for Blank to want to retain Morris and Fontenot, even though the team improved down the stretch. And it's awfully telling that four-game win streak to end the season and an impressive rookie class couldn't change their fates either.

This means that they were likely dead men walking for weeks now, which is something Blank's external health check of the organization helped reveal. The help of Sportology came way before Ryan was ever in talks to join the front office, meaning this decision was almost certainly Blank's own.

Considering the best quarterback in franchise history and the last player to actually lead the Dirty Birds to postseason success is now leading the search for a new regime, fans should be optimistic. He has no executive experience, but his sheer football knowledge will more than make up for that.

However, Rapoport prefaced his statement by revealing that while Ryan is the leading candidate, they still have to comply with the NFL's hiring process while also following the Rooney Rule, meaning they still have to conduct interviews with other candidates before making any potential PFO hire official.

Additionally, Tom Pelissero confirmed that like Tom Brady in Las Vegas, Ryan wants to balance his work with CBS with his new executive position with the Falcons, so he won't have to pick and choose despite the responsibility his position comes with.

There's no telling how the 40-year-old will fare in his new role or if they'll even get a deal done, but it does seem like only a matter of time before he starts to take over the search for a new coach and GM, which is a sign that the arrow might finally be pointing up in Atlanta with Ryan calling the shots.