NFL insider clarifies Matt Ryan's role with the Falcons

When the Atlanta Falcons hired former MVP quarterback Matt Ryan as their new “President of Football” back in January, we really had no idea what to expect, or exactly what that role entailed.

Since then, it’s become clear that Ryan is intimately involved in the team’s on-field operations and has a significant say in their personnel moves. Now we finally have some official clarity on Ryan’s role, courtesy of The Athletic’s Falcons insider Josh Kendall. While he focused on Ryan participating as an extra arm at practice, the real story is that Ryan reportedly has the final say on all football-related matters.

“Matt Ryan won’t stay out of practice drills. The Falcons hired their all-time leading passer and the ostensibly retired Ryan as their new royally titled President of Football. He has the final say on all things related to the on-field product in Atlanta, but his most noticeable role this offseason was as an extra throwing arm in practice.”

“Matt Ryan won’t stay out of practice drills. The Falcons hired their all-time leading passer and the ostensibly retired Ryan as their new royally titled President of Football. He has the final say on all things related to the on-field product in Atlanta, but his most noticeable role this offseason was as an extra throwing arm in practice.”

This is certainly an interesting decision by the organization, considering that Ryan has no previous experience in any kind of front office role.

That’s not to say that Ryan is destined to fail, but it’s a highly irregular move by an NFL team to give so much power to an executive who hasn’t been involved in those kinds of decisions before.

While it’s still very early in the process, one can see Ryan’s influence in a couple of the Falcons’ free agent signings this year. Wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus and tight end Austin Hooper both previously played with Ryan in Atlanta, and have come back for another round in 2026.

Time will tell how good of an exec Matt Ryan will prove to be, but so far the early reviews are not very kind. Most analysts have given the Falcons mediocre to poor grades for their offseason work, but the team didn’t have a ton of resources to work with.

However, the Falcons did work out long-term extensions for wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts. The real test for Ryan will come next offseason as Atlanta is projected to have over $110 million in salary cap space available.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: NFL insider clarifies Matt Ryan’s role with the Falcons