Blank talks Matt Ryan’s candidacy to be Falcons’ lead football executive

There’s a real chance that Matt Ryan, one of the more celebrated players in Falcons history, is soon running their football department.

Team owner Arthur Blank confirmed Ryan’s candidacy for the organization’s newly created director of football position during his news conference Thursday. Blank began interviewing candidates for the position Thursday and will continue Friday, the team said. The Falcons will be announcing their interviews upon conclusion.

The team will interview multiple candidates for its newly minted lead executive role, but it would be an upset if Ryan wasn’t the choice. He’s long been presumed the favorite, which would give him final say over the general manager and head coach — both of whom he’d be responsible for hiring.

Ryan arguably is the best player in Falcons history. He holds nearly every quarterback record for the franchise, including touchdowns (367), completions (5,242), attempts (8,003), yards (59,735), passer rating (94.2), completion percentage (65.5) and career 300-yard passing performances (73).

The Boston College product, who joined the Falcons at a tumultuous time after quarterback Michael Vick went to prison and coach Bobby Petrino quit before completing a full season, oversaw five consecutive winning seasons to begin his career. He won the MVP in 2016 and helped the Falcons to their second Super Bowl berth. Ryan was always praised for his professionalism and leadership throughout his 15-year career. He spent 14 of those seasons with the Falcons, playing his final campaign with the Colts in 2022.

While Ryan lacks executive experience — he’s worked as an analyst for CBS since announcing his retirement in April 2024 — Blank made it clear he believes in his football acumen.

“Matt Ryan came into the league as a rookie in 2008, ended up leading a locker room of 53 for 14 years, leading in the huddle, being a great player, leading great players, supporting coaches” Blank said.

“His EQ and IQ when it comes to football is extraordinarily high. I’ve known Matt personally since 2008 and his family. He’s an outstanding individual, great community leader and certainly the kind of person you’d want to consider in that position.”

Blank, in explaining in the position, made it clear that the president of football operations will be focused solely on the team as it pertains to the game on the field (rather than having additional behind-the-scenes responsibilities). The GM and coach will report directly to that individual, who reports to Blank.

This is a new approach for the longtime owner, whose franchise is mired in an eight-year playoff drought and has fired three coaches over that span. Certainly, leadership changes are synonymous with the Falcons at this point. That ultimately falls on Blank, who hopes a fundamental shift in how the franchise conducts business — including hiring a president of football — creates more welcomed results.

Blank said he’ll stay out of the president’s way: “I’ll be doing the same thing I’ll always be doing, which means I’ll be available and providing not only the financial resources — which is the easiest part of my job — but making sure the culture is maintained, sharing the wisdom, making sure people are working cohesively and together with the same goals in mind and doing whatever I can do to support.”

Note that the sweeping changes were partly prompted by a consulting firm hired to evaluate the Falcons’ organization. Blank said it was felt “areas of accountability and communication could be tightened up a little bit from what they’ve been.”