The Atlanta Falcons are naming Matt Ryan their president of football, as many around the league expected. Ryan spent 14 years with the Falcons, winning the 2016 league MVP award and leading the team to a Super Bowl appearance.
The former No. 3 overall pick is now back as a member of the front office to help the team end an eight-year playoff drought, one that began when Ryan was still Atlanta’s starting quarterback. Team owner Arthur Blank discussed the role that this new “president of football” role would play last week.
“Our new head coach and general manager will report to the new president of football, and they will work collaboratively as a football leadership team on all football decisions. Final decision-making authority will rest with the president of football,” Blank wrote in a letter to Falcons fans.
That means Ryan will have the final say in football decisions, which is a pretty big role for someone without any front office experience. Nonetheless, Blank clearly trusts Ryan to help lead the organization back to respectability.
During his 14 seasons in Atlanta (2008-2021), Ryan passed for 59,735 yards, 367 touchdowns and 170 interceptions while leading the team to 120 regular-season wins. In 2016, Ryan finished with 38 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
We’ll see how that prior success translates to the front office.
-Follow along with the team’s head coach and GM search with our Falcons interview tracker!
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons name Matt Ryan President of Football