Atlanta Falcons Set to Hire Ian Cunningham as Next General Manager

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons have officially hired Ian Cunningham to take over as their next general manager. The former assistant general manager of the Chicago Bears was long considered to be the favorite for the position, but now he and Kevin Stefanski will officially become the joint heads of the Falcons organization.

NFL insider Tom Pelissero was the first to report the news.

The Falcons are hiring Ian Cunningham as their general manager, sources tell The Insiders. pic.twitter.com/sbSX4zOnCX
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 30, 2026

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“I think you're looking for two people that don't see the game polar opposite,” the president of football, Matt Ryan, said last week. “We're looking for people that are aligned in that vision. We're looking for people that work well together. And that doesn't mean best friends, but you've got to have a professional and really strong working relationship.”

Cunningham, who was the first and only interview request made by the team for about a month, has all of these qualifications. He spent the better part of 14 years with Howie Roseman in Philadelphia and Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore, winning a pair of Super Bowls in that time. He has since played a central role with the new-look team that won the NFC North for only the second time in the last 15 years. As a member of the Bears’ executive team, he was on the team that hired Ben Johnson and made drafting decisions that helped shape the franchise.

Cunningham was also well-connected to the Falcons' front office. Ryan Poles, his general manager in Chicago, was a teammate of Ryan’s at Boston College. Ryan and Poles have reportedly remained close, with the Bears’ general manager serving as an advisor to Ryan before he took the job as president of football in Atlanta.

Cunningham was one of six candidates that Ryan and Atlanta considered for general manager, with him and James Liipfert advancing as finalists. Both were brought in for final interviews this week before Ryan and the Falcons settled on their decision.

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He will officially assume his duties immediately and work alongside Stefanski to assemble the Falcons’ 2026 roster and the remaining pieces of the coaching staff. The Falcons will look to snap out of what has grown into an eight-year playoff drought.

With Stefanski in place on the sideline and Cunningham now leading personnel, the Falcons finally have alignment at the top of the organization. How quickly that partnership translates into wins will define the next era of football in Atlanta.