Cunningham will officially succeed Terry Fontenot, who was fired, along with head coach Raheem Morris on Jan. 4, after an 8-9 season that fell far short of expectations for Blank. Indeed, 2026 will be a pivotal point for the franchise, with Cunningham succeeding Fontenot, who had been the team’s general manager since 2021. Atlanta hasn’t advanced to the postseason or tallied a winning season since 2017, when Dan Quinn was head coach, Thomas Dimitroff was GM and Ryan was the team’s quarterback.
With Ryan overseeing the newly structured Falcons, the expectation is Stefanski, Cunningham and a returning Michael Penix Jr. at quarterback will drive the franchise to prosperity that’s been so arduous to find for nearly a decade.
Cunningham is fresh off a turnaround in Chicago, as he was Bears GM Ryan Poles’ right-hand man as the team restructured a roster, hired an offensive-minded head coach in Ben Johnson and saw fruit beared in the form of an NFC North title and an NFC Divisional Round appearance.
While the Jaguars’ GM-less contingent was hiring Coen, Cunningham had already played a hand in the Bears and GM Ryan Poles landing Ben Johnson to lead Chicago. It was the latest impressive bullet point on a resume that boasts a background with strong analytics and scouting experience.
Cunningham has been part of two Super Bowl-winning squads: the 2012 Baltimore Ravens as a personnel assistant and the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles as the director of college scouting.
Following lengthy runs with Baltimore (2008-2016) and Philadelphia (2017-2021), Cunningham’s time with Chicago was his shortest, having joined the franchise in 2022.
He’s risen up the ranks and now is taking the reins of the Falcons with the aim of turning the franchise around and wrapping up a thus-far tumultuous offseason.