A ‘great resource’: How Matt Ryan is impacting Falcons in new role
FLOWERY BRANCH — Chris Lindstrom still remembers the days as a 10-year-old kid in Dudley, Massachusetts, watching Matt Ryan light up defenses as Boston College’s star quarterback.
More than a decade later, they became teammates and next-door locker neighbors in Flowery Branch.
For three years, Lindstrom protected the signal-caller he grew up idolizing. That alone was a memorable, beneficial experience for the Pro Bowl right guard. But this — having Ryan, nearly five months into his job as the Falcons’ president of football, as his boss — has a chance to be similarly impactful for the organization at large.
Ryan has attended each of the Falcons’ practices thus far, doing everything from talking with coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to throwing passes to the team’s receivers.
Lindstrom never barked at Ryan during huddles. Not then, and certainly not now. But Lindstrom cherished their time as teammates, and he — along with several others — is enjoying Ryan’s involvement early in his new role.
“I think it’s just another great resource to have,” Lindstrom said. “I think Matt is probably the greatest Falcon ever. Obviously, he’s smart, a league MVP and his eyes, opinion, everything is always a value. And he was an incredible teammate.
“So, just having him around is great. The competitor, energy, that he is, is awesome. So, I’m super fortunate — I think we all are — to have Matt around.”
Ryan, who started at quarterback for 14 years and is the franchise’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, currently wears several different hats for the Falcons.
The 41-year-old sits and talks through quarterback techniques with Stefanski. He’s a sounding board for Rees, who sees the game through a similar lens and often asks, “Shoot, what do you think?”
Ryan’s also an everyday helper for the players and general manager Ian Cunningham.
“He does a great job of finding that balance,” Rees said. “But he’s a tremendous resource not only for the staff but for the players as well.”
Perspective may be Ryan’s greatest attribute. He addressed the team’s rookies at “Falcons U” with a viewpoint nobody else could, because he sat in the same room, in the same chairs, with the same collection of emotions in 2008. Those moments, and Ryan’s presence, help bridge generational gaps within the organization’s culture.
“I think it’s such a unique history, both in the city and this building,” Stefanski said. “I think that’s really special when he can get in front of them and give them his perspective of things, because not many people can do that like Matt, (who’s) been at the pinnacle of this profession and now is in a role where he’s helping guide this franchise.
“Any time you can get him in front of your players, including your young players, your rookies, I think it’s beneficial.”
‘Throwback energy’
Ryan still has a few old Falcons teammates on the roster. In addition to Lindstrom, Ryan played with left tackle Jake Matthews, cornerback A.J. Terrell, tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Olamide Zaccheaus during his tenure.
Pitts said he stayed in contact with Ryan after the Falcons traded him to the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. The 25-year-old Pitts wanted to keep up with Ryan’s sons, the oft-referenced “Ice Cubes”: Marshall, Johnny and Cal.
Ryan’s knowledge allows him to “pour into everybody that walks around,” Pitts said, much like he did in his playing days.
“He still talks the same,” Pitts said. “He’s very rash. That won’t ever change. That’s Matt. But he’s just in a different role. He’s still the same person. I feel like he’s wrapping me tighter under his wing from a different perspective as a front office guy now. But he just has a different role.
“I mean, he’s still leading the team in some sort of way, but just not physically.”
Pitts relishes the fact he played with Ryan as a rookie and developed a deeper relationship. Star wideout Drake London missed out by one year, but he’s no stranger to Ryan’s resume. London remembers watching Ryan throw passes to Julio Jones, Roddy White and other receivers who preceded London’s time.
Whenever Ryan talks about the routes Jones and White used to run, or what he saw with them, London soaks it in. And he’s also enjoying being on the receiving end of Ryan’s passes during slow-speed, individual warmup sessions.
“Dude, for our president to be down here and throwing a ball and doing all that stuff, I think that’s the dopest thing in the world,” London said. “I think it’s really, really cool. And then, too, just to hear from him. I mean, he’s played with literally the greats who have come through here.”
Ryan, naturally, has been a common face around the team’s quarterbacks, too. Tua Tagovailoa said he’s seen Ryan every day, no matter if he’s talking to the signal-callers or throwing passes with and walking around them.
“It’s not every day where you get a former player, and a former player of that caliber, out at organization practices,” Tagovailoa said. “Let alone the organization that he’s done so well for.”
The Falcons have a quarterback competition this summer between Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., but don’t expect Ryan to throw his name into the ring. London joked Ryan is “itching all the time … and it never leaves your body,” but the Falcons — and Ryan — appear satisfied with how their new partnership has started.
Ryan’s legacy will forever be the 59,735 passing yards, 367 touchdowns and 14 seasons of sustained performance that led him into the Falcons’ Ring of Honor.
And while the itch to get back to those days may always carry a small presence within him, Ryan has found new ways to impact the organization he spent all but one year of his NFL career with — and bring a little throwback energy, too.
“It’s a nostalgic moment,” Pitts said. “It’s great having Matt out here. He can still spin it like he can still play. So, it’s pretty cool to see.”
About the Author
Daniel Flick covers the Falcons and NFL for the AJC. He previously covered the Falcons for Sports Illustrated and chronicled the Indiana Hoosiers’ fairy-tale run to the national championship in the 2025-26 season.
