After spending 14 of his 15 NFL seasons playing for the Atlanta Falcons, you'd think that Matt Ryan truly embodies what it means to be a Falcon—and you'd be correct. It was announced that Ryan would officially be joining the front office as the new president of football in a full circle moment.
Almost 16 years ago, Arthur Blank drafted Ryan with trust he would develop into this team's franchise QB, which paid off handsomely. It's clear Blank both respects and trusts Ryan with this responsibility especially given he has no executive experience, which Matty Ice publicly expressed gratitude over.
Matt Ryan: “Arthur [Blank] gave me the chance of a lifetime almost twenty years ago, and he’s done it again today. While I appreciate the time I had with the Colts and with CBS, I’ve always been a Falcon. It feels great to be home. I could not be more excited, grateful, or…
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) January 10, 2026
He also confirmed what most fans knew by now: he'll be leaving his post as an NFL panelist with CBS after the weekend to assume his position with the team. But more important than that is the fact that he seems committed to returning the Dirty Birds to the relevance he helped lead them to as a player.
Matt Ryan is the perfect president of football hire for Arthur Blank
The former NFL MVP is arguably the greatest player in franchise history, so there's no player who's executive return the fanbase would support more than Ryan. He is the perfect buffer between Blank and the new regime so a long-term vision can return to Atlanta, but the most difficult part begins now.
Now that he's officially been hired, he'll be announced in his new role at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, but is still assisting with the Falcons' inaugural head coaching interviews. They interviewed both Klint Kubiak and Anthony Weaver yesterday, and Ryan assisted while balancing duties with CBS.
While his lack of experience is not ideal, it's hard to doubt Matty Ice can get the job done. There will evidently be a learning curve, especially now that he's helping call the shots, but luckily, a majority of the decision-making will be made by the new regime, so it's not like Tom Brady's role in Las Vegas.
It's promising to know that Blank moved Rich McKay away from the football side, but replacing him with someone as beloved in the city as Ryan is something this fanbase has waited years for. He will be a key decision-maker, but his football knowledge will be just as beneficial in an oversight capacity.
He will report directly to Blank, while the new coach and GM will report to him, but it will be a more collaborative leadership style where multiple voices will have a say in making choices. It's safe to say Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris failed miserably, but this regime won't fail because of his support.