Kirby Smart’s influence has officially made the jump from Athens to Atlanta. The Falcons are examining the blueprint for a championship program by Georgia’s head coach while searching for their next head coach. Franchise legend Matt Ryan, Atlanta’s new football operations president, confirms they won’t follow the NFL’s trend of hiring young, offensive-minded coaches.

Ryan addressed the trend of hiring young offensive coordinators as head coaches across the NFL.

“We are looking for the best coach. Kirby Smart down the road, he does good as a defensive coach,” Ryan said during his first news conference as president of football on Tuesday.

We are looking for the best football coach, offensive or defensive-minded. Looking for people that connect with players, push players, and offer support.” 

Essentially, Ryan is saying the Falcons won’t fall into the trap of prioritizing scheme over leadership. Kirby Smart has won two national championships at Georgia. He has positioned the program as a perennial title contender precisely because he built a culture first and addressed offensive trends second. 

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The Falcons’ situation is genuinely dire. Morris went 16-18 across two seasons despite having legitimate talent on the roster, including a defense that set a franchise record with 57 sacks in 2025, led by rookie James Pearce Jr. The problem was inconsistency, as evidenced by Atlanta, which started 3-2.

Then the Falcons collapsed with a five-game losing streak and were eliminated from playoff contention. However, they experienced a turnaround and finished strong with four straight wins, which ultimately meant nothing. 

That kind of volatility screams culture problem, not scheme problem. Ryan knows this firsthand from his playing days. And now he’s tasked with finding someone who can establish an ironclad identity that Smart has built in Athens.

The Falcons have interviewed both offensive and defensive candidates, including John Harbaugh, Kevin Stefanski, Mike McDaniel, and Anthony Weaver, the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator.​

One key difference Ryan has to navigate with this motivation is that college football success is heavily driven by recruiting, not necessarily the offensive or defensive background of the coach. Smart’s dominance at Georgia stems from his ability to recruit elite talent, develop that talent through a disciplined program, and adjust schemes based on personnel. 

In the NFL, you don’t have the luxury of building through recruiting classes over multiple years. You’re dealing with free agency, the draft, and a salary cap, which means the coach needs to maximize the roster immediately while building a culture that attracts players who will give their 100%. That’s why Ryan’s philosophy makes so much sense.

It doesn’t matter if the person is an offensive guru or a defensive mastermind. They need to be the right person for the job who can connect with players, establish standards, and win consistently.​

The right man for the job

Ryan himself might be the key to changing everything for the Falcons. Owner Arthur Blank created this new president of football operations role specifically to give final decision-making authority to someone who understands both the football and business sides of the organization. 

Ryan takes over football operations from Greg Beadles (who remains president and CEO), and both the new head coach and general manager will report directly to him.

“To the Falcons fans, my mission since I was drafted has never changed,” Ryan said. “It is to help this organization do everything it can to be champions and to win championships. And there is a sense of unfinished business.”

Ryan cites Smart’s defensive success as proof that the best coach doesn’t have to be offensive-minded, prompting a philosophical shift in a franchise that has cycled through four head coaches this decade without lasting success.

If the Falcons can replicate even a fraction of what Smart has built at Georgia, maybe Ryan’s unfinished business will finally get finished.​