It's no secret Arthur Blank is investing a lot of trust in Matt Ryan this offseason despite his lack of front office experience. It's been known for a while now that the Atlanta Falcons' franchise legend will likely be joining the organization as the new president of football, but nothing is agreed upon yet since they just finished the interview process.
However, it feels pretty inevitable that the former NFL MVP will be the one calling the shots in helping to determine who leads the next era of Falcons' football. At the moment, some favorites have emerged, but no interviews will take place until Ryan is officially hired as the new president of football.
It’s widely believed around the NFL that Matt Ryan will indeed become the Falcons’ new president of football.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 9, 2026
Ryan & Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles are very close friends, dating back to their playing days at BC. I’m told Poles has been helping Ryan on the entire hiring process.
Like Blank, Ryan's own personal connections could have a bearing on both searches.
The 40-year-old and Chicago Bears' GM Ryan Poles were teammates at Boston College and Poles has been helping his friend through the hiring process. And that has affected the Falcons' GM search, since Bears' assistant GM Ian Cunningham is the heavy favorite to be Atlanta's next general manager.
Brian Flores could be a perfect dark horse coaching candidate for Falcons now that Matt Ryan is in office
While Ryan's college days are already affecting the direction of a vital search, Poles isn't the only notable name he played with in Chestnut Hill. He and Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator Brian Flores were teammates at Boston College in 2003, a connection that isn't being talked about enough.
Flores isn't an overly popular head coaching candidate, but he should be. The 44-year-old compiled a 24-25 record in three seasons as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, but went 19-14 across his final two seasons—and was only fired because of the reported rift between he and Tua Tagovailoa.
His past experience as a head coach is interesting, but his track record as a defensive coordinator is much better. In the season before the Vikings hired him as DC, they finished 31st in total defense, but his defensive vision has seen the unit improve into among the best in football under his tutelage.
Vikings defensive ranks by season under Flores:
- 2025: 3rd
- 2024: 16th
- 2023: 16th
They also tied for fourth in the NFL in sacks and surrendered just 19.8 points per game (which was seventh in the league) this season, so if you're impressed by what Jeff Ulbrich did with this defense, think again. Flores is one of the most respected defensive minds in football, which no fan can deny.
Flores has garnered some head coaching consideration, but not nearly enough for a coordinator who has accomplished what he has in Minnesota. His active lawsuit against the NFL certainly complicates his candidacy, but the fact he has yet to even land a coaching interview is genuinely preposterous.
It's unclear if Ryan would dip his toe into the Boston College well for both Atlanta's head coach (sorry Jeff Hafley) and GM openings, but assuming Cunningham is hired (which is the expectation), Flores deserves at least some head coaching consideration to complete the BC reunion.