The Falcons’ roster overseen by President of Football Matt Ryan this year is very different from the roster of teammates Ryan had when he last played for the Falcons, in 2021. But tight end Kyle Pitts remains with the team, and Pitts says Ryan is the same kind of leader now that he was then.
“He still talks the same,” Pitts said of Ryan. “He’s just in a different role. He’s still the same person. I feel like he’s wrapping me tighter under his wing, from a different perspective as a front office guy now. But he just has a different role. He’s still leading the team in some sort of way, but just not physically.”
Ryan, who was the Falcons’ starting quarterback from 2008 to 2021, was throwing passes to Pitts on the practice field during the Falcons’ recent Organized Team Activities. Pitts enjoyed that.
“It’s a nostalgic moment,” Pitts said. “It’s great having Matt out here and, you know, he can still spin it like he can still play. So, it’s it’s pretty cool to see.”
Ryan left the Falcons after Pitts’ rookie season, but Pitts said they’ve talked often over the last few years.
“I know him more personally rather than some of these younger guys and rookies,” Pitts said. “I got a chance to play with him. But it’s it’s cool to see and and have him around the building.”
They have to install playing surfaces that meet exacting standards. They have to change the names of the facilities. They have to shut down all other business (such as major concerts) for the duration of the World Cup.
Given the hoops through which the 11 NFL stadiums will have to jump in order to placate FIFA, it’s fair to ask whether it’s worth it.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe recently took a look at that question. Said an NFL official from a team that won’t be hosting any of the World Cup games, “I know more than a few teams weren’t disappointed to lose the bid.”
That could be sour grapes, because those who won the right to host the matches are crowing about it.
“Can’t sleep,” Cowboys owner and G.M. Jerry Jones said recently, per Volin. “This is a great chance to associate with the worldwide love with soccer, and lets us put a little notch on our belt and share it with what soccer’s about, too. They’ll never be able to take away that we held those games in that stadium.”
Cowboys executive Stephen Jones echoed the sentiment: “We’ll be shut down all summer. But it’s worth it. I mean, this is about brand and, you know, being a part of something special.”
The Joneses wanted to host the matches badly enough to give up their suite for the matches.
“I think I’ve got to go someplace else, but that was a part of it,” Jerry Jones said. “We did a lot of things to make this work.”
The Cowboys, Patriots, Falcons, Texans, Chargers/Rams, Giants/Jets, Chiefs, Seahawks, 49ers, Dolphins, and Eagles will be hosting World Cup games in their stadiums.
The total revenue is projected, per Volin, to be roughly $11 billion. FIFA will pay rent for the stadiums, while keeping the revenue from sponsorships, tickets, suites, merchandise, concessions, and parking.
So how much will the teams get for hosting the World Cup? Per Volin, the terms “have been kept under wraps.”
Given that folks like Jones are not known for doing bad deals, they’ll surely be making more money to host the World Cup matches than they would have made in a normal summer.
Still, it’s a headache. Extra work, extra expenses, extra hassles.
Not to mention the P.R. bruise that comes from the perception/reality that NFL owners who are giving FIFA the surfaces it demands while stubbornly refusing to do the same for pro football players.
The hiring of Seahawks assistant G.M. Nolan Teasley as the Vikings’ new G.M. will carry a specific benefit for his former team.
Per the league, Teasley qualifies as a diverse candidate under the NFL provision that gives the former team of a newly-hired G.M. or head coach a pair of third-round compensatory draft picks.
The only question is whether Teasley will be Minnesota’s “primary football executive.” That requirement prevented the Bears from receiving the compensatory draft picks when assistant General Manager Ian Cunningham was hired to be the Falcons G.M. The league decided that president of football Matt Ryan is the “primary football executive” in Atlanta.
The Bears appealed the decision to the league, and Bears fans continue to be mystified by the outcome — especially since Ryan has made it clear that Cunningham is a General Manager “in every facet of the word.”
Minnesota has no similar position to Ryan’s job with the Falcons. The only alternative to Teasley would be coach Kevin O’Connell. But there has been no indication that, moving forward, O’Connell will emerge as the top football executive for the Vikings, with full control over the roster and the draft.
The NFL’s full collection of diversity of initiatives have recently come under attack by Florida’s attorney general. The Seahawks getting two extra third-round draft picks undoubtedly will spark a reaction from those who, in the current climate, attack efforts aimed at enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Jets are signing kicker Younghoe Koo, Connor Hughes of SNYtv reports.
Koo recently participated in the Saints’ rookie minicamp, but New Orleans did not sign him.
He played for both the Falcons and the Giants in 2025, going 6-of-9 on field goals and 13-of-14 on extra points.
The Falcons released Koo after he missed a game-tying field goal at the end of a Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers. He then appeared in five games with the Giants later in the season.
The 2020 Pro Bowler, who spent seven seasons with the Falcons, is 185-of-217 on field goals and 186-of-194 on extra points for his career.
The Jets already have Cade York and Lenny Krieg on their roster at the position.
Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is still on the mend from a torn ACL. But he’s making progress and will be participating in some aspects of OTAs.
But Atlanta head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters on Wednesday that the signal-caller is not completely medically cleared for team drills quite yet.
Via Will McFadden of the team’s website, Stefanski said Penix will continue to do individual drills and 7-on-7 work. But until it’s “appropriate” in his recovery timeline, Penix will not do 11-on-11.
Stefanski added, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN, that Penix is “doing outstanding.”
“He’s not 100 percent, but he’s exactly where he needs to be,” Stefanski said, noting that he’s not going to put an exact percentage on Penix’s recovery.
Once Penix is ready, he’s set to compete with Tua Tagovailoa to be Atlanta’s QB1.
