An offseason of major changes in Atlanta will include the departure of Ryan Pace.
The Falcons and Pace have parted ways, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Pace had spent the last four years with the Falcons, and his most recent title was vice president of football operations and player personnel. But in an offseason when Matt Ryan has taken over the front office and General Manager Terry Fontenot was fired, Pace no longer has a place in the front office.
The 48-year-old Pace is best known for working as GM of the Bears from 2015 to 2021. Before that he spent 14 years with the Saints.
Falcons Clips
The Falcons hired Matt Jones as assistant offensive line coach, the team announced on Friday.
Jones comes to Atlanta after working with the Titans the previous three seasons as an offensive assistant (2024-25) and offensive line assistant (2023).
He contributed to an offensive line that helped the development of Titans’ 2024 first-round pick tackle JC Latham, who started all 17 games at left tackle. Second-year left guard Peter Skoronski also started every game, while right guard Dillon Radunz established a career high with 15 starts.
In 2023, Jones worked with an offensive line that helped running back Derrick Henry rank second in the NFL with 1,167 rushing yards.
Jones previously spent four seasons at the University of Tennessee-Martin as offensive line and tight ends coach (2019) and run game coordinator/offensive line and tight ends coach (2020-22). Before his time at UT Martin, Jones was the offensive line coach at Texas Southern for two seasons (2017-18) and at Jackson State for one season (2016).
Kirk Cousins is ready for anything this offseason.
Cousins remains under contract to the Falcons, but the quarterback is expected to be released before March 13 because his reworked contract now calls for a $67.9 guarantee for the 2027 season to vest at that time. Cousins could sign a different contract to return to the Falcons after closing out the 2025 season as their starter, but he said on PFT Live that “my expectation is to not expect anything” when it comes to where he’ll be playing in the fall.
“I’ll keep an open mind, kinda be ready for whatever may happen,” Cousins said. “I still think it’s really early. When we get to March, we’ll know more. Have some substantive conversations and see where it goes.”
Cousins tore his Achilles while playing for the Vikings in 2023 and he was benched during the 2024 season, but said he felt healthier last year and “rejuvenated” by his return to the lineup after Michael Penix tore his ACL. He said he “would love to get an opportunity to play and compete” once he does get a better sense of what teams are interested in his services.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson approves of his new head coach and offensive coordinator.
Robinson was mic’d up while talking to Pro Bowl teammates, and he talked about how excited he is to play for new Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski, and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who will call the plays in the Falcons’ offense.
“Kevin Stefanski, he’s fire bro,” Robinson said. “I like him a lot, and his offensive scheme. Tommy Rees, he’s the OC, but he’ll call the plays.”
Robinson has completed three years of his rookie contract, which likely means he’s looking for a new deal this offseason. He’d like to sign a long-term deal that makes him the highest-paid running back in football, and keeps him playing for Stefanski in Atlanta for years to come.
The Falcons aren’t ready to make any commitment to a starting quarterback at this point in the calendar.
Michael Penix was drafted in the first round by the previous regime, but his first full season as a starter was cut short when he tore his ACL in November. The team has since hired head coach Kevin Stefanski, General Manager Ian Cunningham, and president of football Matt Ryan, and Ryan said at a Tuesday press conference introducing Cunningham that the new braintrust has to break down the entire roster before they come up with plans for who will be on the field come September.
“Neither of us are the head coach of the football team, so we can’t answer your question on that. . . . I think as we start to get into this process and dive deeper into the roster — how it currently stands, where it’s going in the future — I think those are conversations that’ll be a part of it,” Ryan said, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com “Quarterback’s obviously very important, and we’re excited about Mike and what he’s doing with his rehab. I’ve been up at the facility the last three weeks, and Michael’s been in there attacking that and he’s in a good space right now, so we’re excited about where he is at. But certainly, a lot of discussions for us about the entire roster.”
Given the timing of Penix’s injury, it’s not a sure thing that he’ll be ready to go for Week 1. Kirk Cousins finished out the 2025 season as the starter, but he’s expected to be released after reworking his contract so the Falcons may be in the market for an addition at quarterback next month.
Raheem Morris is heading back to the NFC West.
Three years after leaving the Rams to become head coach of the Falcons, Morris will be joining the 49ers as the team’s new defensive coordinator, via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Morris served as the Rams’ defensive coordinator from 2021 through 2023. In his first season, the Rams won the Super Bowl.
Before 2021, Morris worked for the Falcons as an assistant coach from 2015 through 2020. He worked in Washington from 2012 through 2014. Before that, Morris spent three years as head coach of the Buccaneers.
Morris will be the fifth 49ers defensive coordinator in five seasons. DeMeco Ryans had the job from 2021 through 2022, before becoming head coach of the Texans. Steve Wilks coordinated the defense in 2023, and Nick Sorensen had the job in 2024.
Robert Saleh returned for 2025; he parlayed his work into a head-coaching job with the Titans — five years after leaving that same job to become head coach of the Jets.
Morris will essentially be working for free; anything he makes will be credited to the head-coaching salary the Falcons owe him, through the expiration of the deal Atlanta terminated after two years.
Former Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand has found a new job.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Engstrand will be joining Kevin Stefanski’s staff in Atlanta as the Falcons’ offensive passing game coordinator. The Jets fired Engstrand last week after one year as their coordinator.
The Jets finished 31st in points scored and 25th in yards during Engstrand’s one year on the job.
Engstrand spent five seasons on the Lions’ staff before making the move to the Jets after Aaron Glenn was hired as their head coach. He was the passing game coordinator during his final two seasons in Detroit.
The Falcons have also hired Tommy Rees as their offensive coordinator and Alex Van Pelt as their quarterbacks coach.
Kevin Stefanski has made another addition to his coaching staff in Atlanta.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Falcons are hiring Alex Van Pelt as their quarterbacks coach. Van Pelt was a senior offensive assistant with the Rams during the 2025 season.
Van Pelt worked on Stefanski’s Browns staff from 2020-2023 as the offensive coordinator and he was also the quarterbacks coach in his final season with Cleveland. He was succeeded by Ken Dorsey and was replaced by Tommy Rees in 2025. Rees will also be the coordinator in Atlanta.
Van Pelt was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator in 2024 and he’s also coached quarterbacks with the Bengals, Packers, Buccaneers and Bills over the course of his coaching career.
The Falcons announced the hiring of Ian Cunningham as their new General Manager.
Cunningham, who arrives in Atlanta after four seasons with the Bears as assistant GM, will report directly to the team’s president of football, Matt Ryan.
“It was evident through our rigorous interview process that Ian was the right choice for our General Manager position,’ Ryan said in a statement. “His vision for our team and organization aligned exactly with the type of leader we were seeking to help take the Falcons to the next level. Throughout Ian’s career, including Super Bowl championships in Baltimore and Philadelphia, Ian has demonstrated the drive and focus it takes to build championship contenders and put them in the position to win games. We love his broad and deep experience across every aspect of talent evaluation and know he’s learned from some of the best in the league. Pairing him with coach [Kevin] Stefanski is exciting for us, and we can’t wait to see them bring our shared vision to life in everything we do starting right now.”
The Bears acquired four players who earned three All-Pro honors and four Pro Bowl selections during Cunningham’s time in Chicago. The 2025 Chicago offense finished sixth in the NFL in total offense, with 13 of 15 players who played at least 400 snaps acquired during Cunningham’s tenure.
“It’s truly an honor to be the General Manager of the Atlanta Falcons, and I couldn’t be more thankful to Arthur Blank, Matt Ryan, Greg Beadles, Josh Blank and the entire search committee for believing in me,” Cunningham said. “As a Falcons fan growing up in Roswell when the Dirty Birds were rolling, the Braves were on fire and the city was hosting the Summer Olympics, I lived the passion of Atlanta sports fans and I can’t wait to be part of bringing that fire and energy back to the city. It’s been incredible to build a relationship with Matt over the last several weeks and to have an immediate connection with Kevin. I can’t wait to work with both of these great football minds to put a team on the field everyone will be very excited about. We all share the same vision for what the Atlanta Falcons should and will be and it’s time to work.”
The Falcons have filled out the top of their football operation.
After hiring former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to serve as president of football operations and Kevin Stefanski to be the new head coach, the Falcons have hired Bears assistant G.M. Ian Cunningham as the new General Manager, per multiple reports.
Cunningham also had been considered for the job Ryan filled.
Hired by the Bears in 2022, Cunningham previously worked for the Eagles from 2017 through 2021. He spent the nine years before that with the Ravens.
Earlier this month, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Ryan will be the primary decision maker in Atlanta. If accurate, it means that the Bears will not receive two third-round compensatory draft picks, pursuant to a Rooney Rule provision that promotes the development of minority candidates. It also means, if true, that the Bears could have blocked the move, since Cunningham won’t be a true G.M.
Regardless, the Falcons have made the hire. And the Falcons now have a three-man power structure that will be charged with reversing a playoff drought that dates back to 2017, one year after the Falcons lost Super Bowl LI to the Patriots.
The quarterback of those teams will now be calling the shots in the Atlanta front office.
