The Atlanta Falcons' GM search was believed to be down to two names, or so we thought. Ian Cunningham and Josh Williams seem to be neck-and-neck in a really close race, but a surprise candidate may have just made come out of left field to shake up the general manager process.
The Falcons' search figured to be nearing its end despite not holding any interviews, but Kevin Stefanski and Matt Ryan have other plans. They're finally not only interviewing candidates who were considered for the president of football post, as they will interview Steelers' assistant GM Andy Weidl.
Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl will interview for the open general manager position with the Atlanta Falcons, according to sources.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) January 21, 2026
Weidl has been with the Steelers since May of 2022 and is a well-respected personnel evaluator around league circles. pic.twitter.com/8uTSB5Lygn
Weidl has been with the Steelers since 2022, where he's been the right-hand man to GM Omar Khan and has a strong track record in talent evaluation. The Steelers don't have an elite roster, but a big reason they've been competitive lately is the improvement of draft classes since Kevin Colbert stepped down.
Andy Weidl isn't as well-known, but is a better GM candidate than Ian Cunningham or Josh Williams in Atlanta
By the looks of it, Steelers fans are pretty upset about the prospect of losing him, which is a good sign for the Dirty Birds. Weidl is the executive who assembles the Steelers' draft board, which has seen the quality their draft classes increase significantly since he took over, especially after Day 1.
Players Andy Weidl had a role in drafting:
- Joey Porter Jr.
- Keeanu Benton
- Derrick Harmon
- Nick Herbig
- Darnell Washington
- Zach Frazier
- Troy Fautanu
- Payton Wilson
- Mason McCormick
- Jack Sawyer
He's had a few misses, like all executives do, but that is a stellar draft track record. Outside of Harmon and Fautanu, all of these players were drafted outside the first round, so finding that much value late in the draft is exactly what the Falcons were missing with Terry Fontenot despite a great 2025 class.
Weidl spent a decade in scouting with the Ravens before leaving for Philadelphia, where he worked his way up to the VP of player personnel in 2019. From there, he returned to the franchise where he got his start as an executive, and has been pivotal in helping sustain their model of consistency.
Weidl was the right-hand man to Howie Roseman, he worked under Ozzie Newsome, and has been a key cog in the machine for several successful front offices. He has "future GM' written all over him, so even though Williams and Cunningham are the expected frontrunners, he should complicate matters.
Weidl's interview is proving that the general manager search in Atlanta is still very much wide open, so there's a chance he can pull off a massive upset in the coming days. Then again, they have yet to conduct any official interviews, so this process may take longer than expected to conclude.
In addition to their interview with Weidl, they finally requested interviews with Cunningham, Williams, and Houston Texans assistant GM James Liipfert.
Even if he doesn't land the Falcons' GM job, it feels inevitable that he'll receive an opportunity to be a general manager sooner rather than later, so hopefully Stefanski and Ryan get it done.