The Atlanta Falcons finally have their new general manager in Ian Cunningham. He was the frontrunner from the start, but that didn't stop Matt Ryan from conducting a legitimate search process after Kevin Stefanski was hired to be the Falcons' next head coach, yet he still won out in the end.
ESPN sources: Falcons are hiring Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham as their general manager. pic.twitter.com/cpKHPlxotg
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 30, 2026
Cunningham beat out Houston Texans assistant GM James Liipfert to be Atlanta's next GM, as both conducted in-person interview with Falcons brass earlier today. They were the only two candidates to make it to the second round of interviews, but in the end, Matty Ice wound up choosing familiarity.
The rising executive was the right-hand man to Bears' GM and Ryan's college teammate Ryan Poles, who initially helped him through the search. That connection led to him emerging as the early favorite, especially after interviewing for the president of football opening, there were multiple instances where reports suggested the search shifted and he was no longer the favorite.
Ian Cunningham is officially getting his shot to be the GM of the Falcons
During Stefanski's opening presser, Ryan shed light on the state of the GM search, but nobody was expecting a resolution this quickly. By the end of the weekend, sure, but on the same day they conducted both in-person interviews? They must have been sold on Cunningham beyond belief.
Beyond his time in Chicago, Cunningham comes with a wealth of experience that should make fans excited. He comes from a scouting background and he worked under both Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore and Howie Roseman in Philadelphia before landing with the Bears, which is pretty stellar.
The Dirty Birds officially have their new regime set in stone, which means the Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot era is finally a distant memory and a new era will be ushered in at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In total honesty, this offseason has been the most exciting time to be a Falcons fan in years.
Between Ryan and Cunningham, two of the Falcons' top three decision-makers are new to their roles, which is a bit scary, but at least we can't doubt that this front office will be on the same page with the youth same vision to return Falcons football back to its glory days we saw when Ryan was a player.