Falcons
The Falcons brought back Matt Ryan as their new president of football. Ryan said he has a sense of “unfinished business” after leading Atlanta to the Super Bowl but falling short to the Patriots in 2017.
“My mission since I was drafted has never changed,” Ryan said, via Josh Kendall of The Athletic. “It is to help this organization do whatever it can to be champions and win championships. There is a sense of unfinished business. We were close at times, and we had some success here and there, but I truly believe we’re going to get there.”
Falcons owner Arthur Blank feels Ryan led the organization to its “best 14 years” during his playing career and hopes to “relive history.”
“He led us to the best 14 years in the history of our franchise, both on the field and off the field. He’s coming back in a very unique position, and it’s a time to relive history for us for the next 14 years,” Blank said. “We are really thrilled.”
As for the team’s next head coach, Ryan said he wants someone who can command respect and connect with their players.
“You have to be able to command the respect of your players,” Ryan said. “That doesn’t mean you’ve got to be the most vocal or the best in a press conference. It just means you have to be able to connect. I view it from the lens of what I always needed from coaches and from some of the best I’ve been around.”
Falcons
The Falcons officially hired Matt Ryan as their new president of football, giving them a unique mind in their front office as Atlanta’s former quarterback. When asked about the quarterback position, Ryan said he loves Michael Penix Jr. and wants to support him.
“Yeah, I’m not hired to come in and be the quarterbacks coach, but, you know, I love Mike,” Ryan said, via FalconsWire. “I’ve gotten to know him through the last couple of years here in Atlanta. So anything he needs from me, I’m a part of this organization and happy to help in any way that I can. But I’m not a coach. I’m not gonna be the head coach or the quarterback coach. If asked, and if the relationship with that department is right, [I’m] happy to help in any way that I can.”
Penix suffered a partially torn ACL in Week 11 and missed the rest of the season. Ryan said the quarterback is diligently working on his rehab.
“He’s already at it,” Ryan said. “I was here yesterday morning and he was in there getting after his rehab. He’s in a good mental space and he’s doing exactly what he should be doing right now.”
Panthers
The Panthers decided to sign DC Ejiro Evero to an extension this offseason after initially retaining him after a poor 2024 campaign. Carolina GM Dan Morgan was asked about his decision to keep Evero in 2024, saying he believes in his defense and philosophy as a coach.
“If you look at EJ, if you’re around him every day—you see the way he works, how smart he is,” Morgan said, via PanthersWire. “I believe in his defense, I believe in his philosophy. He’s really good at developing players. Again, it’s my job as well to put him with the right personnel. And again, it’s a patience thing to where we’re gonna attack those needs and we’re gonna get better across the board. As you see us keep adding talent on our roster, players on our roster developing—I think you’ll see that defense keep ascending.”
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