Matt Ryan is throwing passes at Falcons OTAs as team president, and the players love it
Atlanta's franchise quarterback came back in January as president of football operations. He's at every practice, coaching up Penix and Tagovailoa, and stepping in to throw when arms run short.
Matt Ryan spent 14 seasons as the Falcons' quarterback. In January 2026 he came back as president of football operations, and his hands-on style has exceeded expectations: he's at every OTA, chopping it up with the quarterbacks, and on Wednesday he stepped in to throw passes to receivers himself.
What does Ryan's role actually involve?
He's president of football operations, hired in January to oversee the hiring of a new coach and GM. Ian Cunningham, formerly of the Bears, is the GM; Kevin Stefanski is the head coach. Both report to Ryan, though owner Arthur Blank was clear that the coach and GM retain final say in their domains. Ryan sits above football operations without stripping the people under him of their authority, the structure that makes a former player in the chair workable.
What does hands-on look like in practice?
Literally hands-on. Ryan attends every voluntary OTA. Tua Tagovailoa said he's 'been out here every day' and is 'chopping it up with the quarterbacks, taking some throws with us.' On Wednesday, with Michael Penix and Tagovailoa not throwing, Ryan stepped in and threw to receivers during drills. Receiver Jahan Dotson said Ryan is 'the first one up' when extra arms are needed. Tight end Kyle Pitts noted he 'can still spin it.' He also ran a video session with rookies on NFL life and the Atlanta experience.
Why does it land with the players?
Credibility no executive can fake. Ryan won MVP in 2016 and took the Falcons to a Super Bowl; he speaks the quarterback's language because he lived it for 14 years in this building. Tagovailoa credited Ryan's presence as a major factor in signing with Atlanta: 'It's not every day where you get a former player and former player of that caliber out at organizational practices.' Stefanski put it simply: 'it's not many people that can do that.'
What's the risk?
The line between hands-on and overbearing is thin when the president once played the position the current quarterbacks play. The setup works as long as Ryan lends expertise without undercutting Stefanski and Cunningham, and Blank's explicit guardrail, that the coach and GM keep final authority, exists precisely to manage that. So far the praise is coming from the players and coaches themselves rather than from Ryan's own framing, which is the tell that the arrangement is genuinely working and not just being sold.
Players in this story
Sources
- ESPN: Falcons president Matt Ryan's hands-on approach a hit in Atlanta
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