FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons are in search of a new general manager after parting ways with Terry Fontenot following the 2025 season. A new-look leadership group — including Falcons President of Football Matt Ryan — is leading the hunt to find his successor with the assistance of ZRG Partners and Sportsology Group.

"We're looking for people that work well together," Ryan said of the search at his introductory press conference. "And that doesn't mean best friends. You've got to have a professional and really strong working relationship. And sometimes that comes with seeing things a little bit differently. But the best of the best find ways to get to common ground.

"As we go through both of these searches, both the head coach and the GM, as we're going along that lane at the same time, that's what we're looking for. We're looking to find two people that we feel like are excellent in their role and what they're asked to do but also can provide a really strong working relationship together."

RELATED: Falcons General Manager Tracker

On Jan. 17, the Falcons hired Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach. With the two-time coach of the year in the building, Atlanta turns its attention fully to the search for a general manager.

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.

The NFL has specific rules for how and when teams can conduct these interviews. They are outlined here.

The Falcons have officially completed an interview with Joe Douglas for general manager.

Interview date: Friday, Jan. 23

Current role: Douglas became the Philadelphia Eagles' senior personnel director/advisor to the general manager in 2025.

Resume highlights:

• Douglas rejoined the staff in Philadelphia last year after spending the 2016-18 seasons as the Eagles' vice president of player personnel. His Eagles’ bio states: "He played an integral role in helping construct Philadelphia's Super Bowl LII-winning roster in 2017."
• Between his two stints with the Eagles, Douglas was the New York Jets' general manager from 2019-24. During that time, he helped build a roster that featured seven players with a combined 10 Associated Press All-Pro honors and six players with a combined nine Pro Bowl nominations.
• Douglas served as the Chicago Bears' director of college scouting in 2015 but otherwise spent 16 years with the Baltimore Ravens. He worked in the Ravens' personnel department from 2000-15, which featured two of the team's Super Bowl wins (2000 and 2012). Douglas went to the playoffs 10 times in Baltimore.
• Douglas played offensive tackle at the University of Richmond from 1995-98. He was a volunteer assistant coach for the school in 1999.

Local connection: Douglas' time in New York overlapped with that of Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who held the same role with the Jets from 2021-24. Douglas is the reason Ulbrich was able to coach a player like defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who was a three-time Pro Bowler from 2022-24 and a first-team All-Pro member in 2022, because Douglas drafted Williams with the No. 3 overall pick in 2019. Or a player like cornerback Sauce Gardner, whom Douglas drafted No. 4 overall in 2022 and won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Ulbrich has trusted Douglas to provide him with strong defensive players in the past, and possibly could again.

Why he's a candidate: Douglas boasts 26 years of NFL experience, starting as a player personnel assistant in 2000 and working his way up the ranks to general manager for the first time in 2019. He has seen just about everything when it comes to talent evaluation, draft process and roster construction. And he has seen success at the highest level after all his work was said and done. Throughout his career, Douglas has been a part of three Super Bowl victories and 14 playoff runs.

When it comes to drafting, two of Douglas' defensive hits were already addressed above. He has also struck gold on offense as a general manager. Douglas was behind the Jets drafting wide receiver Garrett Wilson with the No. 10 overall pick in 2022. Wilson went on to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Wilson and Gardner were the third duo in NFL history to win their respective awards in the same season. Douglas also brought in running back Breece Hall that offseason with a second-round pick. Though Hall's first year didn't jump off the page, his next three – aka his most recent three – all finished with more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage. He posted a career-high 1,065 yards rushing in 2025. Suffice to say, Douglas' 2022 draft class was elite.

So, although the Jets didn't compile winning records as a team, Douglas wasn't necessarily to blame. He brought in productive players. The Eagles and Ravens did well with him on their staffs. Perhaps so will the Falcons.