ATLANTA – A member of two Super Bowl winning front offices, Ian Cunningham has been named general manager of the Atlanta Falcons after meeting with Falcons leadership, including owner and chairman, Arthur M. Blank, Thursday in Atlanta.
Cunningham arrives in Atlanta after four seasons (2022-25) with the Chicago Bears as assistant general manager with his time in the Windy City culminating in the Bears' NFC North title in 2025. Cunningham will report directly to the team's president of football, Matt Ryan.
"It was evident through our rigorous interview process Ian was the right choice for our general manager position,' said Ryan. "His vision for our team and organization aligned exactly with the type of leader we were seeking to help take the Falcons to the next level. Throughout Ian's career, including Super Bowl championships in Baltimore and Philadelphia, Ian has demonstrated the drive and focus it takes to build championship contenders and put them in the position to win games. We love his broad and deep experience across every aspect of talent evaluation and know he's learned from some of the best in the league. Pairing him with Coach Stefanski is exciting for us, and we can't wait to see them bring our shared vision to life in everything we do starting right now."
During his time in Chicago as assistant general manager, four players acquired earned three All-Pro honors and four Pro Bowl selections in Kevin Byard, Drew Dalman, Montez Sweat and Joe Thuney. The 2025 Chicago offense finished sixth in the NFL in total offense with 13 of 15 players who played at least 400 snaps acquired during Cunningham's tenure.
"It's truly an honor to be the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons and I couldn't be more thankful to Arthur Blank, Matt Ryan, Greg Beadles, Josh Blank and the entire search committee for believing in me," said Cunningham. "As a Falcons fan growing up in Roswell when the Dirty Birds were rolling, the Braves were on fire and the city was hosting the Summer Olympics, I lived the passion of Atlanta sports fans and I can't wait to be part of bringing that fire and energy back to the city. It's been incredible to build a relationship with Matt over the last several weeks and to have an immediate connection with Kevin. I can't wait to work with both of these great football minds to put a team on the field everyone will be very excited about. We all share the same vision for what the Atlanta Falcons should and will be and it's time to work."
Prior to Chicago, Cunningham spent five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles where he was a member of the club's front office when the organization captured its first Super Bowl win in 2017. Cunningham began his time in Philadelphia as director of college scouting (2017-18) before earning two promotions to assistant director of player personnel (2019-20) and director of player personnel (2021). In his five-year tenure in Philadelphia, the Eagles qualified for the playoffs four times, winning the NFC East twice and winning the aforementioned Super Bowl.
"My experience in Chicago has been important to me in so many ways, and I wouldn't have this opportunity in Atlanta without George McCaskey, Kevin Warren and especially Ryan Poles," said Cunningham. "I am deeply grateful for the opportunity they gave me and everything I've learned from them over my years with the Bears. It has been a first-class experience, and I will never forget what they, our staff, coaches, players and the great fans of Chicago have done for me."
A total of six Eagles acquired during Cunningham's time in Philadelphia (2017-21) have earned 11 Pro Bowl selections while with the club.
Cunningham began his NFL front office career with the Baltimore Ravens in 2008 as a player personnel assistant. After five seasons (2008-12) as a player personnel assistant, including the Ravens' Super Bowl win in 2012, he served as a southeast area scout for two years (2013-14) before taking on additional responsibility as the southeast/southwest area scout from 2015-16. The Ravens advanced to the playoffs six of his nine seasons with two AFC North crowns and the 2012 Super Bowl win.
Prior to joining the front office ranks, Cunningham signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent offensive lineman in 2008. A native of Carrollton, Texas, Cunningham lived in Roswell, Georgia as a youth while his father Louis Cunningham was VP of Marketing for the Atlanta Olympic Committee for the 1996 Summer games. Cunningham earned his bachelor's degree in psychology in 2007 and his master's in education in 2008 from Virginia.
Cunningham and his wife, Justine, have three children, Elliot, Rooney and Niall.
Arthur M. Blank on Ian Cunningham:
"From the first time we met with Ian, his bright and innovative mind quickly made an impact on our group. Through our research, it is clear he is a selfless individual driven by a pursuit of perfection and is impeccable with his word while never pausing on his quest to learn more and challenge the status quo. As we have previously said, our objective is to win games and contend for championships every year, a focus that Ian shares and has demonstrated throughout his career. We look forward to the leadership we now have in place with Matt Ryan, Kevin Stefanski and Ian Cunningham and the work that is to come from our organization as it builds on what is already a strong foundation."
