Everything you need to know about the candidates Atlanta is considering for the key front office role.
byTori McElhaney,Will McFadden&Terrin Waack
DISCLAIMER: The statements and opinions regarding players and/or potential future players in the article below are those of the AtlantaFalcons.com editorial staff and not the Atlanta Falcons unless noted in a direct quote.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. The Atlanta Falcons are in search of their next general manager. The organizationparted ways with Terry Fontenotafter its final game of the 2025 season.Falcons leadership began the huntto find his successor with the assistance of ZRG Partners and Sportsology Group.
The Atlanta Falcons editorial staff will document that process extensively in this general manager tracker.
The Falcons will announce these interviews after they are completed with each candidate. We'll provide those updates here, along with relevant information and background about each candidate. In addition to official interview announcements, there will also be aggregated reports of interview requests from trusted and approved league reporters.
The NFL has specific rules for how and when teams can conduct these interviews.They are outlined here.
We've compiled everything you need to know about the Falcons' search for the organization's next general manager in one easy location.
IAN CUNNINGHAM
Report, Jan. 6: The Falcons have "requested permission to interview" Cunningham,according to CBS Sports Jonathan Jones.
Interview date: TBD
Last stop: Cunningham has been the Chicago Bears'assistant general manager since 2022.
Resume highlights:
- Cunningham has 18 years of NFL experience, the last four coming with the Bears. He was the first-ever assistant general manager in Chicago, joining the franchise with general manager Ryan Poles. The Bears won the NFC North in 2025, their first division title since 2018.
- Prior to his time with the Bears, Cunningham spent five years with the Philadelphia Eagles, holding the role of director of college scouting (2017-18), assistant director of player personnel (2019-20) and director of player personnel (2021). The Eagles made the playoffs four times during Cunningham's tenure, including a Super Bowl victory in his first season.
- Cunningham's start in the league came with the Baltimore Ravens, with whom he spent nine seasons as player personnel assistant (2008-12) and area scout (2013-16). The Ravens went to the playoffs in each of those years, winning the Super Bowl in his last season.
- Cunningham was an offensive lineman for the University of Virginia, so he understands what it's like to be a collegiate athlete.
DISCLAIMER: The Falcons editorial staff is independently aggregating reports of signings from select reporters prior to any official announcement from the team. The full list of reporters: Adam Schefter (ESPN), Jeremy Fowler (ESPN), Dan Graziano (ESPN), Ian Rapoport (NFL Network), Tom Pelissero (NFL Network), Mike Garafolo (NFL Network), Jonathan Jones (CBS), Jay Glazer (FOX), Dianna Russini (The Athletic), Jeff Howe (The Athletic), Albert Breer (Sports Illustrated) and Mark Maske (Washington Post).
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