Atlanta Falcons executive Phil Emery will leave his post with the organization, opting to retire after spending nearly 25 years in NFL front offices. Emery enjoyed two stints with the Falcons, the most recent of which began in 2016.
Best known for his time with the Chicago Bears, the 64-year-old Emery initially broke into the scouting ranks with the then-NFC Central team in the late 1990s and -- after spending time with other organizations -- returned to the Bears as general manager in 2012. That tenure lasted just three seasons, with Emery and HC Marc Trestman fired after the 2014 campaign ended.
Emery fired longtime Bears HC Lovie Smith in 2013, hiring vetearn offensive coordinator Trestman (who enjoyed great success in the CFL). The Bears, who went 10-6 in Smith’s final season, completed 8-8 and 5-11 seasons under Trestman.
During his time in Chicago, Emery assembled the most statistically-productive wide receiver duo in Bears history, trading for Brandon Marshall in 2012 and pairing him with 2012 second-round pick Alshon Jeffery. The two worked with QB Jay Cutler, acquired by a previous regime but extended under Emery, before Emery successor Ryan Pace traded Marshall in 2015.
The Bears ranked second offensively in 2013, doing so as a Cutler injury helped foster Josh McCown‘s resurgence. That season, the team played for the NFC North title in a Week 17 game against the Green Bay Packers. Back from injury, Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to the win in that contest. Chicago’s offense then regressed in 2014 and its defense had by that point nosedived during Trestman’s stay.
Prior to his run atop Chicago’s front office, Emery served as the Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs director of scouting. The Falcons assembled part of their early-2010s core during Emery’s initial Atlanta stint, with the team drafting Roddy White and Matt Ryan. Emery spent much of the 1980s and ’90s as a college strength and conditioning coach.
Following his Bears ouster, Emery returned to the Falcons in 2016, when the team hired both he and ex-Titans GM Ruston Webster as national scouts. Although current GM Terry Fontenot had not worked with Emery previously, he kept the veteran personnel man in the fold upon his hiring in 2021. Emery and Webster moved into senior personnel executive roles upon Fontenot’s arrival.
“It’s not just the fact you have that knowledge; it’s the willingness to share it,” Fontenot said of Emery. “That was a great thing about Phil. He was great in the room and is passionate about the game and its details. To hear him talk about a player was so valuable. He was open and willing to share his experience, whether something went well, or it didn’t. The wisdom and openness was so huge for us.”
A few Falcons staffers have now moved on this offseason. The Tennessee Titans hired Anthony Robinson as their co-assistant GM, and the Arizona Cardinals’ new front office staff now includes ex-Falcons staffer Rob Kisiel.
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