Falcons’ Matt Ryan joins trend of players turning into football executives
FLOWERY BRANCH — When the Falcons named former quarterback Matt Ryan the president of football, they joined a recent trend around the league of hiring former players to take on various front office roles.
In recent years, Tom Brady went to the Raiders, Tony Boselli the Jaguars and John Lynch with the 49ers in varying capacities and with different job titles and duties.
Also, in 2024 former linebacker Dan Morgan, who worked his way up the traditional way after retiring, was named the president of football operations and general manager of the Panthers, who won the NFC South this season and lost in the wild-card round 34-31 to the Rams on Saturday.
“It’s going to require a full commitment and all of my effort, attention and just all of it, all of everything that I have,” said Ryan, who acknowledged he has no previous front-office experience.
Ryan believes that being a quarterback in the NFL for 15 years and his relationships will help to provide a smooth transition.
“I think my working relationship with coaches and with general managers throughout my 14 years here and my one in Indy is different from a lot of players,” Ryan said. “I do. When you are quarterback of an organization for a long time, the interactions that you have with the head coach and the meetings that you sit in their office and talk about all the different things that are going on with the football team.”
Ryan was involved in some of the decision-making processes.
“Decisions that need to be made or alterations in a plan or in a season of maybe changing directions” Ryan said. “It’s different from other players. I feel really well versed in those conversations.”
Morgan and the Panthers glided past the Falcons this season in the NFC South. The Falcons were projected by many to catch Tampa Bay and win the division. But the two losses to the Panthers helped to keep them out of the playoffs and earn their eighth consecutive losing season at 8-9.
Morgan was a tenacious linebacker for the Panthers from 2001-07 after he was drafted 11th overall out of Miami.
He started his post-playing career as a scout in 2010 with Seattle. He was named assistant director of pro personnel (2011-14) and director of pro personnel (2015-17).
Morgan went to the Bills as their director of pro personnel (2018-20) before being hired as the Panthers assistant general manager (2021-23). He was promoted to his current position in 2024.
While Ryan and the Falcons are regrouping, the Panthers will try to build on their breakthrough season.
“From the inside, we really don’t put timelines on it,” Morgan told Charlotte media members Tuesday. “Kind of leave that for the outside. I think for us, we have the vision. We have a plan moving forward. We’re going stick to that plan. We’re going to build this thing one brick at time. We have a good foundation right now.”
The Panthers leaned on their rushing attack, while quarterback Bryce Young continued to develop as a quarterback.
Young, the former Alabama standout and Heisman Trophy winner, beat the Falcons 30-0 on Sept. 21 and then torched them for 448 yards passing and three touchdowns in a 30-27 overtime win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Nov. 16.
The Panthers’ defense is anchored by Derrick Brown, who was an AJC Super 11 player while at Lanier High School.
“I think you’re never one player away, so I think we’ve just got to be smart,” Morgan said. “We’ve got to be disciplined in our process and approach like we’ve been and just stick to that model.”
Brady doesn’t have a title with the Raiders. He’s a minority owner and has input in the decision-making, but he kept his TV job and doesn’t work out of the team’s building.
Brady works closely with owner Mark Davis and general manager John Spytek.
Boselli, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, was named Jacksonville’s executive vice president of football operations in February 2025. He’s not the primary decision-maker. He works with owner Shad Khan and coach Liam Coen on player engagement, football operations and strategy.
“This is the same type of role that Boselli has down here this last year with the Jags,” former Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey said of Ryan. “If that is part of it, he has some say in a lot of the decision-making, he’ll be great.”
Ryan was brought into the NFL by an old-school coaching staff that included Mularkey, coach Mike Smith and quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave.
“You couldn’t find anybody better than Matt Ryan to fit that role,” said Mularkey, who lives in Jacksonville, Florida. “Boselli has done a good job down here.”
The Jaguars went 13-4 and won the AFC South, but lost to the Bills in the wild-card round.
Lynch linked up with Kyle Shanahan when he left the Falcons to become the 49ers’ head coach in 2017. Lynch is the president of football operations and general manager.
After going 6-10 and 4-12, the 49ers have been to two Super Bowls and two other conference finals since 2019. They upset the Eagles in the wild-card round Sunday and are set to play No. 1 seed Seattle on Saturday.
“I think (hiring Ryan is) similar,” former coach and NBC analyst Tony Dungy said. “You take really good players that have played at a high level. They’ve been around. They’ve been on winning teams. They know what it takes to win. I think there is a common thread there.
“I think it’s a good move for Atlanta. I really do.”
Former Falcons wide receiver Roddy White played with Ryan from 2008-15.
They clicked immediately, as White posted five consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2008-12 with Ryan delivering the passes.
“So, I know from my experience from playing with Matt that there is going to be a lot of accountability around there,” White said. “I’m going to tell you that. There’s going to be an expectation that everybody does their job at a high level.”
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
