ATLANTA — The position of president of football is new to the Atlanta Falcons.
The person they hired for the job is not.
Less than a week after the end of another frustrating season, and two days after team owner Arthur Blank said the franchise was creating a new front-office role, the Falcons announced former longtime quarterback Matt Ryan had been hired for the position Saturday.
Ryan, who holds most of the team’s passing records after he spent 14 years as the starter, interviewed Friday, a day after Blank confirmed the team’s interest in bringing their former star back on board as an executive.
The team interviewed candidates for only two days before hiring Ryan, who will be responsible for leading the search for the Falcons’ new coach and general manager. Each new hire will report directly to Ryan, who will leave his role as NFL analyst with CBS.