Falcons great Matt Ryan named team's president of football - ESPN

The Atlanta Falcons have made it official, hiring franchise legend Matt Ryan as the team's president of football Saturday morning.

The role is a new one added to the organization's front office in recent days and Ryan will now oversee the whoever is hired as the team's new general manager and head coach. Ryan was widely expected to be hired for this position. He will now lead the searches for both the open head coach and GM roles.

Ryan, 40, had been working as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports, a job he will leave to rejoin the Falcons and longtime owner Arthur Blank. Ryan has no front-office experience, but Blank touted his high «EQ and IQ» at a news conference on Thursday, noting that Ryan was able to lead teams to success through multiple regimes.

«Arthur gave me the chance of a lifetime almost 20 years ago, and he's done it again today,» Ryan said in a statement. «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.»

The Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot last Sunday night after a disappointing, 8-9 season. Atlanta has not made the playoffs nor had a winning record since 2017 — when Ryan was the team's quarterback. Morris was let go after two seasons; Fontenot spent five seasons with the Falcons.

With the news of the departures, Blank also announced the addition of the new president