The Atlanta Falcons today announced that Scott Pioli has been appointed as the club's Assistant General Manager, reporting to General Manager Thomas Dimitroff. Pioli will join the Falcons on February 3, following the completion of his contract with NBC Sports Network and SiriusXM Radio.
"Scott is one of the most respected and adept talent evaluators in the NFL and a member of three Super Bowl Championship teams," Dimitroff said. "We have worked together well in the past and been friends for more than 20 years. We have had the opportunity to experience a lot of success together, and I am very pleased that he has agreed to join our personnel team so we can work together again. We have made the commitment to improve every aspect of our organization this offseason, and with the addition of Scott to our personnel department, we have taken an important step to enhance our scouting staff."
Pioli brings 22 years of NFL experience to the Falcons personnel department, including four seasons as the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs. He was named NFL Executive of the Year by various national media outlets five different seasons during his career, including honors from Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, and Pro Football Weekly/PFWA.
Pioli was also named the Executive/Personnel Man of the Decade by both ESPN and the Sporting News, and Sports Illustrated named him the #1 GM/Pro Sports Executive of the Decade beginning in 2000. In his second season in Kansas City, Pioli orchestrated one of the greatest turnarounds in Chiefs history as the club won the AFC West with a 10-6 record and he was named NFL Executive of the Year. It was Kansas City's first division title and home playoff appearance since 2003. In four seasons with the Chiefs, Pioli drafted Pro Bowl players such as Eric Berry (3), Justin Houston (2), Dontari Poe, and Dexter McCluster.
"Adding a seasoned personnel executive with the track record like Scott's is in line with our organizational philosophy of making investments in hiring the best people," Falcons Owner & Chairman Arthur M. Blank said. "This move was made as a result of Thomas' competitive drive to build the best personnel team in the NFL, and the addition of Scott to his team certainly reflects that."
Pioli joined the Chiefs after serving as the Vice President of Player Personnel with the New England Patriots, where he spent six seasons working with Dimitroff (2002-07). During his nine-year tenure in New England (2000-08), the Patriots compiled an NFL-best 102-42 (.708) regular season record, won Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII and XXXIX, claimed four AFC championships, and won six AFC East titles. In collaboration with Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick and Dimitroff, Pioli saw the Patriots compile 11 playoff wins between 2003 and 2007, the highest total by any team during a five-year span in NFL history. The trio is responsible for scouting, evaluating, and drafting players that were responsible for New England's unprecedented success during that time.
Pioli began his NFL career when he was hired by Belichick as a Scouting Assistant for the Cleveland Browns in 1992. He spent the next three seasons working as the Browns Pro Personnel Assistant where he was responsible for evaluating both college prospects and veteran free agents, as well as negotiating various player contracts. He was promoted to Pro Personnel Coordinator when the team moved to Baltimore In 1996. In 1997, Pioli was hired as the New York Jets Director of Pro Personnel where he worked before following Belichick to New England in 2000.
