The Atlanta Falcons have been busy this offseason with an overhaul of their football hierarchy, bringing in Matt Ryan as president and Kevin Stefanski as head coach. As Stefanski puts the finishing touches on his Falcons coaching staff, Atlanta will also reportedly soon have a new general manager in place.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham and Houston Texans assistant general manager James Liipfert are the two finalists to become the next Falcons general manager.
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The decision is reportedly expected by the end of the week, with how each of Cunningham and Liipfert mesh with Ryan and Stefanski to be a critical factor in the decision. For Liipfert, who is headed to Atlanta for a second interview, it would be a return home for the Georgia native.
Cunningham, age 40, is a two-time Super Bowl champion. He started out as a personnel assistant with the Baltimore Ravens (2008-2012), working his way up to area scout (2013-16). After the stint in Baltimore, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles as director of college scouting (2017-18) before being promoted to assistant director of player personnel in 2019.
When Ryan Poles was hired as Chicago’s general manager in 2022, he brought in Cunningham as his assistant general manager. Since then, Cunningham has been a finalist for several teams with GM vacancies and is considered a rising star in the NFL.
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Liipfert is a Georgia Tech alum who played linebacker for the Yellow Jackets from 2005-’08. In Houston, per the team’s official website, he’s run the college scouting operation in preparation for the NFL Combine, pro days, fall scouting and the NFL Draft.
Neither executive have direct ties to Stefanski, who spent more than a decade on the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff (2006-2019) under different head coaches. However, Atlanta wants to ensure that its head coach, general manager and president have a strong working relationship and are aligned on the vision for the franchise’s future as they start a new era.
