Arthur Blank Praises Matt Ryan Ahead of Falcons Interview, Updates Front Office Search Process

It appears that legendary quarterback Matt Ryan is the frontrunner for a new role with his old Atlanta Falcons organization.

ESPN's Marc Raimondi reported that the Falcons will interview Ryan, among others, for a new role entitled the "president of football," and team owner Arthur Blank spoke so highly of the future Hall of Famer that he could be considered the favorite for the position.

"His EQ and IQ when it comes to football is extraordinarily high," Blank said of Ryan. "I've known Matt personally since 2008, and his family, and he's an outstanding individual, great community leader and kind of person we certainly would want to consider in that position."

The president of football will be the first role filled this offseason for the Falcons, and Blank said that person will lead the interviews for the head coach and general manager positions following the firings of Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot after the 2025 season.

"Obviously, you've still got to hire a great coach, a great general manager, and the president of football will not be doing their jobs for them at all, but will be holding them accountable and giving input with guidance, when necessary," Blank said.

Ryan has never worked in an NFL front office, but he's one of the franchise's greatest legends. The 2016 NFL MVP led the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance that season and was later inducted into Atlanta's Ring of Honor.

While Blank's initial focus will be on finding the next president of football, he made it clear that the Falcons will be pursuing former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh following his firing this week.

"John has been one of the most successful coaches in the last 20 years in our league," Blank said. "He has won at every level. And so, he would certainly be a candidate who we'd want to spend some time with. Whether or not [he has] an interest in Atlanta, I don't know."