The Atlanta Falcons made it clear that the front office rebuild is far from finished after a frustrating end to the 2025 season. Recently, Matt Ryan revealed that the organization hired Ian Cunningham, a move expected to shape their approach in the upcoming NFL Draft. However, shortly after that news surfaced, the Falcons made another decisive change by cutting ties with a key executive.

Ryan Pace, the Falcons’ vice president of football operations and player personnel, is no longer with the organization.

“The Falcons and VP of football operations/player personnel Ryan Pace have parted ways, per sources,” Tom Pelissero wrote on X.

“Pace, the former Bears GM, was highly thought of in Atlanta. But he was brought in by close friend Terry Fontenot, who was fired last month, and will have options elsewhere.”

Pace joined Atlanta in 2022 as a senior personnel executive. Over time, he steadily worked his way up the ladder. First, he earned a promotion to director of player personnel in 2023. Then, just a year later, he stepped into the vice president role. Still, despite that upward movement, his tenure unfolded during a shaky stretch for the Falcons.

The Falcons closed the most recent season with an 8-9 record, falling short of the playoffs even after finishing strong with four straight wins. As a result, the franchise is now in a rebuild, and he won’t be part of it.

Looking back at Pace’s career path, he earned his first general manager shot after 14 years in the Saints’ front office, where he climbed from operations assistant in 2001 to director of player personnel by 2013.

Pace made history in 2015 by becoming the youngest general manager in the league at just 37 when he joined the Bears. However, his early decisions in Chicago quickly drew criticism, as players like Kevin White never lived up to expectations, and the Mitchell Trubisky pick later became a hot-button topic. Still, that gamble briefly paid off when Chicago went 12-4 in 2018.

Unfortunately, those highs did not last, and over three seasons with John Fox, the Bears went 14-34. Later, under Matt Nagy, they improved to 34-31 but fizzled out with early playoff exits and a 6-11 finish in 2021. After a rocky transition away from Trubisky, Pace and Nagy were both shown the door.

Pace’s move to Atlanta reunited him with Terry Fontenot, his former colleague from New Orleans. But Fontenot was fired last month, and now, as Matt Ryan reshapes the team, there is simply no room for Pace under new general manager Ian Cunningham. However, Cunningham has a big task in the coming days.

Matt Ryan announce Ian Cunningham’s big role the NFL Drafts and free agents

Matt Ryan recently revealed how the front office will operate. Speaking with CBS Sports, Ryan made it clear that newly hired general manager Ian Cunningham will control free agency and the NFL Draft.

“Ian’s in charge,” Ryan said. “Ian’s in charge of that space. I’m looking forward to learning about it.”

“I said this other day at Ian’s presser, I’ve never sat in a draft meeting. So Monday’s going to be the first time I’m sitting in a draft meeting. I’ve got a lot to learn. So sitting, observing, being a fly on the wall. If there’s something that Ian has a question about, or something I can help with, I’m all ears, and I’m happy to share my opinion. But Ian is driving this boat, and he’s the one leading us moving forward, and I’m excited about that. Ian is incredibly competent and qualified, and he’s awesome, so looking forward to watching him do his thing.”

Right now, the biggest question is whether Michael Penix Jr. is their long-term answer or not. Earlier in the week, Ryan avoided naming a starter and pushed the decision toward head coach Kevin Stefanski. Still, he made his stance clear, saying he remains “high” on Penix and believes in “his ability to throw the football, his ability to layer the football, to drive it to all different parts of the field.”

Because of that uncertainty, Cunningham now has real work ahead. Moving forward, he must align closely with Stefanski to map out a clear plan. And another issue is Atlanta will not have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. That selection went to the Los Angeles Rams after the Falcons moved up for edge rusher James Pearce Jr. in 2025.

However, Cunningham has a lot of experience. Over the past four years, he served as assistant general manager with the Bears. Before that, he sharpened his eye in scouting and personnel roles with the Eagles and Ravens, building a resume that spans several respected front offices. That background is exactly why Ryan feels confident.

“We are really excited about all of those experiences,” he previously told reporters.

Now, the spotlight turns to how Cunningham, Matt Ryan, and Kevin Stefanski build the squad through free agency and the NFL Draft, a stretch that could define the next era of Falcons football.