Why did the Falcons hire the head coach before the general manager?

Also, the NFL rules made the coaching search take off after the firing of John Harbaugh by the Ravens. The Falcons also had competition from the Titans, who watched as Harbaugh and Stefanski canceled visits before going to Tennessee.

With Ryan designated as the primary decision-maker, the general manager will be considered the secondary decision-maker, according to the league rules.

“The way the rules are set up, getting in front of the coaching in our situation … makes a little bit more sense...,” Ryan said.

The Falcons interviewed five candidates for the president of football job. They have not announced any interviews for general manager.

However, the Falcons announced that defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich would return. He has a new three-year contract.

The process of hiring a general manager is ongoing with President and CEO Greg Beadles helping with compliance.

“It’s been great to have compliance and help in there with all the rules and what we can and cannot do and when we’ve got to do it, because there’s a lot, and (I’m) admittedly not an expert in that space,” Ryan said.

Teams seeking to fill an open secondary football executive position are not required, but encouraged, to interview a broad and inclusive slate of candidates. Secondary football executive interviews can be in-person or virtual.

“There are specific windows when we can talk to coaches, for example, that are in the playoffs, coaches that had the wild-card bye,” Beadles said. “There’s specific days we can talk to them and not others. So, it’s just more restrictive right now when we talk to coaches. GM is a little bit more open.”

Stefanski, who was named head coach Saturday, will have an introductory news conference Jan. 27 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“ (We) had to jump on head coach because of timing and league protocol,” Beadles said.

Under the Falcons’ new structure, both the coach and general manager will report to Ryan.

“It’s important we land both these planes about at the same time because there has to be collaboration between these two individuals,” Falcons team owner Arthur Blank said last week. “So, which one goes exactly first doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. You’ve got to take turns, you know, getting on the deck, if you will. But we want to make sure that vision-wise, compatibility-wise, mentally and all the issues, they work together.”

The Falcons want Stefanski and the new general manger to have a shared vision.

“They see the vision of football the same way, and they want to work together in a way that work is respectful; doesn’t mean (they’ll) always agree,” Blank said. “So, you want to kind of make those decisions that are fully connected.”

Stefanski is coming from an organization where they retained the general manager in Cleveland after making one of the worst trades in the history of the NFL (Deshaun Watson).

“The worst thing you can have in the NFL, probably in any organization, is have a general manager and a head coach that don’t see their roles the right way, the same way,” Blank said. “We are trying to make decisions based on a different set of standards. So, we’re very sensitive to that and that goes both ways, GM and head coach.”

Candidates interviewed

Here’s a look at four candidates who were interviewed for the president of football job and who could be candidates for the role of general manager:

Ian Cunningham, 40, Bears assistant general manager: Cunningham is highly regarded for his work with the Eagles and Ravens. He declined the Cardinals job in January 2023 and is waiting for the right opportunity. He started with the Ravens as a personnel assistant (2008-12) and worked as an area scout (2013-16). He joined the Eagles as the director of college scouting (2017-18), served as the assistant director of player personnel (2019-20) and was the director of player personnel (2021). He’s been with the Bears in his current role for the past four seasons.

Before joining the front-office ranks, Cunningham signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free-agent offensive lineman in 2008. A native of Carrollton, Texas, he earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2007 and his master’s in education in 2008 from Virginia.

Josh Williams, 49ers director of scouting and football operations: He was a finalist for the Jacksonville GM job last season. Williams is in his 15th season with the 49ers. He worked his way up from being an area scout. He’s a native of Santa Rosa, California, and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Columbia in 2010.

Brandt Tillis, Panthers executive vice president of football operations: He’s been with the Panthers for only a year. He spent 14 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he helped build three Super Bowl winners as the director of football administration and later vice president of football operations.

Mike Disner, Lions chief operating officer: Disner has spent the past seven seasons (2019-25) with the Lions and currently is their chief operating officer. Before joining the Lions, he spent six seasons (2013-18) with the Cardinals as director of football administration after four years at the NFL Management Council, one as labor-operations manager (2012) and three as labor-operations coordinator (2009-11).

Disner began his NFL career as a scouting assistant with the Patriots in 2007, following an internship. He has a degree in economics from Williams College in Massachusetts.