The Atlanta Falcons shook up their front office Thursday by hiring Ian Cunningham as general manager, NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero said. At 40 years old, Cunningham had also been considered for the club’s president of football operations job, and with his background in college scouting and player personnel he appears well-suited to work alongside Matt Ryan—who was hired as president—and new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Cunningham’s expertise in player evaluation likely helped him edge out Houston Texans assistant GM James Lipfert, who the Falcons interviewed a second time. He spent the last three years as the Chicago Bears’ assistant general manager under Ryan Poles and began his NFL front-office career in 2008 with the Baltimore Ravens, rising from personnel assistant to area scout over eight seasons.
In 2017 Cunningham moved to the Philadelphia Eagles as director of college scouting for two years, then became assistant director of player personnel and was later promoted to director of player personnel for one year before departing for Chicago. Earlier in his career he spent a season on the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad; an offensive lineman at the University of Virginia, he started 31 games for the Cavaliers.
Cunningham succeeds Terry Fontenot, who was dismissed along with head coach Raheem Morris following Atlanta’s Week 18 regular-season finale.
Fan Take: This hire matters because Cunningham’s résumé signals a front office focus on scouting, drafting and developing talent—areas that can quickly reshape a franchise’s long-term outlook. For NFL fans, that could mean a renewed emphasis on building through the draft and potentially more consistent roster construction across the league.
