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."

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 James Liipfert for general manager.

Interview date: Thursday, Jan. 22

Current role: Liipfert became the Houston Texans' assistant general manager in 2025.

Resume highlights:

• This season, the Texans went 12-5 and made it to the divisional round of the playoffs. Houston has made a postseason run in five of the eight years with Liipfert on staff.
• Liipfert has been with the Texans since 2018 and served as the director of college scouting until his latest promotion. During Liipfert's tenure, the Texans have drafted notable players such as edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., quarterback C.J. Stroud and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.
• Prior to joining the Texans, Liipfert worked for the New England Patriots for nine seasons. He started as a scouting assistant (2009-10), then became an area scout (2011-14) and finished as a national scout (2015-17). During his time with the organization, the Patriots won nine AFC east titles, four AFC championships and two Super Bowls.

Local connection: Liipfert is originally from Marshallville, Georgia, and graduated from Westfield High School before playing linebacker at Georgia Tech from 2005-08. He appeared in just one game as a freshman but then 12 and 13 games as a junior and senior, respectively. He totaled 14 tackles, 10 of which were solo, throughout his career. The Yellow Jackets went to a bowl game in each of his seasons.

Why he's a candidate: Liipfert has done well drafting outside of the first round, which would be beneficial to the Falcons in 2026 considering they do not have a first-round pick. Of course, Texans general manager Nick Caserio had a heavy hand in all draft decisions. But Liipfert's deep background on the college side surely played a part.

Either way, here are a few of those success stories just from 2025 in Houston:

• Offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery was drafted in the second round and started every game.
• Wide receiver Jayden Higgins was another second-rounder who played in every game, totaling 41 receptions for 525 yards and six touchdowns.
• Wide receiver Jaylin Noel was a third-rounder who appeared in every game and started three, catching 26 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns.
• Running back Woody Marks was a fourth-rounder who appeared in all but one game and started eight. He had 911 yards from scrimmage, breaking down into 703 rushing and 208 receiving. He scored two touchdowns on the ground and three through the air.

According to his Texans bio, Liipfert ran "the college scouting operation in its preparation for fall scouting, all-star games, the NFL Combine, pro days and the NFL Draft." He knows how to identify talent. He knows how to build a roster. He just hasn't been the head guy in charge – yet.