At this point, it appears to be a matter of not “if” but rather “when” Matt Ryan will be hired for a lead role in the Atlanta Falcons’ front office.
But whenever the 2016 NFL MVP inevitability returns to his former franchise, it now appears that he’ll also be cutting ties with his current employer, CBS.
That didn’t appear to be the case a day ago, with the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reporting that Ryan had hoped to maintain his media gig in a setup similar to Tom Brady’s dual roles with the Las Vegas Raiders and Fox. But in an update on Tuesday, Pelissero reversed course, stating that the 4-time Pro Bowl quarterback would not continue working with CBS in order to be “all-in” on his responsibilities with the Falcons.
As the Falcons complete the process of hiring their new president of football, one point of clarity: My understanding is Matt Ryan would not continue working at CBS if and when he’s hired.
Ryan lives in the ATL area and intends to be all-in on rebuilding the football operation. pic.twitter.com/dx341q1GK3
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 6, 2026
While the Brady situation has seemingly set a new precedent in terms of front office executives continuing their media work, Ryan moving on makes more sense than him still being a part of CBS’ weekly coverage. For one, there’s the inherent conflict of interest that comes with a high-ranking team executive also covering the league for one of its primary media partners. For another — and what appears to be the motivating factor behind Ryan likely moving on from CBS— it’s hard to imagine him having the bandwidth to fulfill his obligations as both Atlanta’s top decision-maker and also a key member of The NFL Today pregame show.
Regardless of his reasoning, it now appears that the 40-year-old won’t be attempting to pull of such a feat. But it perhaps says more about the current state of the NFL media that it was widely accepted as a viable — if not likely — outcome as Ryan returns to his former franchise.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.