ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons Owner and Chairman Arthur M. Blank announced Saturday that former NFL MVP and CBS Sports analyst Matt Ryan has been named the team’s President of Football Operations.
A Boston College alum, Ryan, affectionately referred to by fans as “Matty Ice,” played the majority of his 14-year NFL career with the Falcons and now assumes the role immediately.
Ryan is expected to oversee all aspects of Falcons football, reporting directly to Blank while collaborating with Falcons President and CEO Greg Beadles to ensure alignment between the business and football sides of the organization.
In a statement, Blank said:
“Throughout his remarkable 14-year career in Atlanta, Matt’s leadership, attention to detail, knowledge of the game, and unrelenting drive to win made him the most successful player in our franchise’s history. I am confident those same qualities will be a tremendous benefit to our organization as he steps into this new role. From his playing days to his time as an analyst at CBS, Matt has always been a student of the game, and he brings an astute understanding of today’s NFL, as well as unique knowledge of our organization and this market. I have full confidence and trust in Matt as we strive to deliver a championship-caliber team for Atlanta and Falcons fans everywhere.”
Ryan added:
“Arthur gave me the chance of a lifetime almost twenty years ago, and he’s done it again today. While I appreciate the time I had with the Colts and with CBS, I’ve always been a Falcon. It feels great to be home. I could not be more excited, grateful, or humbled by this new opportunity. I began my career with a singular goal: to do right by the Blank family, the Falcons organization, the City of Atlanta, and especially our fans. My commitment to the success of this franchise has not changed. I’m beyond ready to help write a new chapter of excellence.”
Ryan led the Falcons to the postseason five times, including two NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl appearance.
According to the Falcons, Ryan set franchise records for career passing yards (59,735), attempts (8,003), completions (5,242), passing touchdowns (367), passer rating (94.6), completion percentage (65.5%), and 300-yard games (73). Ryan also set numerous single-game and single-season records during his time with the Falcons, and had a 120-102 regular season record.
He led the team to Super Bowl 51 with the Falcons following the 2016 season where he won the NFL MVP award.
Atlanta is currently conducting searches for a new head coach and general manager, both of whom will report to Ryan.
This comes nearly a week after the Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris.
The Falcons have not had a winning record since the 2017 season where Ryan led them to a 10-6 record.