The Atlanta Falcons have gone through a front office overhaul this offseason in hopes of recapturing the glory days with former quarterback Matt Ryan.
Now the new president of football operations, Ryan hopes the Falcons have taken another big step by hiring Ian Cunningham as the team’s general manager. The Falcons also had a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski amid the offseason changes.
“It was evident through our rigorous interview process Ian was the right choice for our general manager position,” Ryan said via the team website. ”His vision for our team and organization aligned exactly with the type of leader we were seeking to help take the Falcons to the next level.”
“Throughout Ian’s career, including Super Bowl championships in Baltimore and Philadelphia, Ian has demonstrated the drive and focus it takes to build championship contenders and put them in the position to win games,” Ryan continued. “We love his broad and deep experience across every aspect of talent evaluation and know he’s learned from some of the best in the league.”
Cunningham most recently served as the Chicago Bears assistant general manager, where the team turned the corner and reached the divisional round of the playoffs. The Falcons are seeking a similar turnaround, having not appeared in the playoffs since 2017, when Ryan was the quarterback.
“Pairing him with Coach Stefanski is exciting for us, and we can’t wait to see them bring our shared vision to life in everything we do starting right now,” Ryan said.
For Cunningham, it’s a homecoming of sorts since he lived in Roswell, Georgia, for a time as a youth. His father, Louis Cunningham, was the vice president of marketing for Atlanta’s Olympic Committee when the city hosted the 1996 Summer Games.
“As a Falcons fan growing up in Roswell when the Dirty Birds were rolling, the Braves were on fire and the city was hosting the Summer Olympics, I lived the passion of Atlanta sports fans and I can’t wait to be part of bringing that fire and energy back to the city,” Cunningham said via the team website.
Cunningham’s family moved to Carrollton, Texas, and he became a prep star at Hebron before his collegiate career at Virginia from 2003 to 2007 as a guard. He joined the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2008 but only made the practice squad.
Cunningham went on to serve as a personnel assistant with the Baltimore Ravens that same year until 2012 and then a scout from 2013 to 2016. He joined the Philadelphia Eagles staff in 2017 and served there in multiple roles until 2022 when he joined the Bears staff.
“The Falcons gain one of the hardest-working, most genuine, and loyal teammates and leaders in our industry,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said of Cunningham via the Falcons’ website. “I am blessed and fortunate to have had the opportunity to partner with Ian over the last four years, and I cherish the memories and first-hand perspective that I had as he positively influenced our entire organization.”
Cunningham helped the Bears come out of a four-year losing streak, two coaching changes between 2021 and 2025, and two different high draft picks at quarterback with varied results. This past season, the Bears went 11–5, won the NFC North, and witnessed quarterback Caleb Williams put together a career year. Free agent acquisitions such as Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney, Kevin Byard, and Montez Sweat paid off, too.
Now, Cunningham will look to develop a talented Falcons roster with quarterback Michael Penix Jr., wide receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts, and running back Bijan Robinson. Cunningham will also have to make a call on quarterback Kirk Cousins’s contract, too, though the Falcons are already widely expected to release him in March.
