The Atlanta Falcons’ organizational remodel is nearing completion.
The Falcons are expected to hire Ian Cunningham to be the team’s next general manager, according to multiple reports.
Cunningham is a longtime NFL scout who spent the last four seasons as the Chicago Bears’ assistant general manager. The 40-year-old worked closely with Bears general manager Ryan Poles – a college teammate of new Falcons president of football operations Matt Ryan – to rebuild Chicago into a playoff team.
That, plus Cunningham’s experience working under Ozzie Newsome with the Baltimore Ravens (2008-16) and Howie Roseman with the Philadelphia Eagles (2017-21), helped him earn general manager interviews in recent seasons.
Ultimately, Atlanta was the team to give Cunningham his first general manager opportunity. He will now work with Ryan and new Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski to try to get Atlanta to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 NFL season.
First up on Cunningham’s to-do list will be figuring out what to do at quarterback. Michael Penix Jr. suffered a torn ACL midway through the season while Kirk Cousins could be a cap casualty ahead of the third season of his four-year, $180 million free-agent deal.
The Falcons went 8-9 last season under the leadership of coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot. They have not had a winning season since 2017.