After being introduced as the new general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, Ian Cunningham paused during his first press conference to reflect on his journey.
“I’m just taking this in for a second,” Cunningham said.
Cunningham began his career in football after graduating from the University of Virginia. Although he would have liked to continue playing football, he focused on becoming a general manager and started by joining the Baltimore Ravens’ scouting department as a player personnel assistant. His entry into the Ravens organization was facilitated by a recommendation from his college coach, Al Groh.
“(Baltimore) taught me what scouting was,” Cunningham said, “from the ground up.”
He spent nine seasons with the Ravens, eventually becoming a full-time scout and helping the team achieve six playoff appearances, two AFC North titles, and a Super Bowl victory in 2012.
Cunningham later joined the Philadelphia Eagles as director of college scouting and then director of player personnel. During his five years there, he helped lead the Eagles to four playoff berths, two NFC East titles, and another Super Bowl win.
“Teaching me the nuances of the game through a different lens, roster construction and team building,” Cunningham explained.
He then moved to Chicago as the Bears’ first assistant general manager. Working with general manager Ryan Poles, Cunningham contributed to securing an NFC North title in 2025.
“We went through the fire together,” Cunningham said about Poles. “We started off a little rocky and we were able to come out the other end this past season with the NFC North title.”
Cunningham has experience working under respected NFL executives such as Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta in Baltimore; Howie Roseman in Philadelphia; and Kevin Warren, Ted Phillips, and Ryan Poles in Chicago. He credits each with shaping aspects of his leadership style.
From Newsome, Cunningham learned discipline and evaluation skills; from Roseman, innovation; from Poles, attention to detail and humility.
“Fortunately for me, I have been around some of the greats to ever do it,” Cunningham said. “If I can be half as good as them, that’s what I am striving for. I’m trying to be as good as them.”
As general manager in Atlanta—a team based in Atlanta, Georgia that plays in the National Football League’s NFC South Division since its founding as an expansion franchise in 1965—the expectation is that Cunningham’s background will help restore playoff success. The Falcons last reached the playoffs in 2017 but have made two Super Bowl appearances: one in 1998 and another in 2016 (https://www.atlantafalcons.com/).
“Smart, tough, physical. We are going to build through the trenches. If you look at all of those teams, that’s the philosophy,” Cunningham said about previous organizations he worked for. “Draft, develop and retain, that’s going to be our philosophy here too. You can’t have enough draft picks. We did that in Baltimore. You want to retain your own. So that’s what we are going to do.”
Falcons president of football Matt Ryan highlighted why they selected Cunningham for this role: “We were looking for somebody who was well-versed in terms of their experience and has touched all of the different parts of scouting,” Ryan said. “That’s was something that was important for us because there’s a lot that falls under Ian’s control so you want somebody who is comfortable who understands each individual’s role in his department.”
Cunningham’s approach remains consistent—building through drafting players rather than trading future assets—and is expected to guide Atlanta’s efforts moving forward.
Because Cunningham’s past continues to shape his future — now as Atlanta’s general manager.