Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the St. Louis Rams have entered contract negotiations with Falcons director of player personnel Les Snead to take over their vacant general manager position. Subsequent reports have indicated that Snead has accepted the position. Snead was considered one of two finalists for the job, but the other candidate, George Paton opted to remain with the Minnesota Vikings.

Snead replaces Billy Devaney, a former Falcon executive that was hired by the Rams in 2008, but fired after this past season. Snead first joined the Falcons in 1998, and was promoted in 2009. Snead was also a candidate for the vacant GM positions in Indianapolis and Chicago this year. No word from the Falcons on who will replace Snead, who in his former position acted essentially as an assistant to GM Thomas Dimitroff in directing both the college and pro personnel departments. But it is likely that assistant director of player personnel Lionel Vital could get a promotion.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Falcons director of player personnel Les Snead was interviewed by the St. Louis Rams for a second time on Wednesday for their vacant GM position. It was previously reported that Snead would be interviewed by the Rams, which actually took place on January 10. His first interview took place before the Rams had decided on a head coach, which turned out to be former Tennessee Titans head man Jeff Fisher.

Snead first joined the Falcons personnel department in 1998 and was promoted to his current position in 2009. His current role is to aid GM Thomas Dimitroff in overseeing both pro and college scouting departments. Snead was also a candidate for the vacant GM spots in Indianapolis and Chicago. Ultimately the Bears job went to former Falcon director of college scouting Phil Emery, who was last with the team in 2009.

The Indianapolis Colts are poised to interview two members of the Falcons front office next week according to reports. Adam Caplan of the Sideline View tweets that Falcons Director of College Scouting David Caldwell will interview with the Colts on Monday for their vacant GM position. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC also reports that Les Snead will interview with the Colts, as well as the previously reported St. Louis Rams next week for the GM jobs.

Caldwell was one of the first new hires of Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff after joining the organization in 2008. Prior to joining the Falcons, Caldwell spent ten years as an area scout for the Colts. He also spent two years (1996-97) as a scouting assistant with the Carolina Panthers before joining the Colts.

Falcons Director of Player Personnel Les Snead is set to interview with the St. Louis Rams for their open GM gig according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Snead is among several candidates for the position, recently vacated when the Rams fired Billy Devaney. Devaney himself was a former member of the Falcons front office before taking over the GM job in St. Louis in 2008.

According to reports, the Rams are looking to hire a top-flight head coach in Jeff Fisher and pair him with a young GM such as Snead. Fisher is set to interview with the Rams today, and if he accepts their position he is expected to aid in the selection of the new GM.

Snead, 37, joined the Falcons in 1998 after three seasons working as a pro scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was promoted to his current position with the Falcons following the 2008 season, and has aided GM Thomas Dimitroff in overseeing both the college and pro personnel departments.

Snead is also rumored to be a candidate for open GM positions in Indianapolis, Oakland, and Chicago Last year, Snead interviewed for the GM job with the San Francisco 49ers.

The Falcons announced that team president Rich McKay has added the title of CEO to the nameplate on his deck.

McKay was promoted to team president following the 2007 season, after serving the previous four years as the team’s general manager. He was replaced by current Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff at that time. Since Dimitroff handles the personnel side of things for the Falcons organization, McKay’s duties have geared towards the business aspect over the past three seasons. He has been heavily involved with the team’s quest to build a new stadium, and has also been heavily involved in salary cap management and contract negotiations. McKay is the chairman of the league’s competition committee, a position he has held since 1994 although prior to this season he shared responsibilities with former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher. This promotion isn’t expected to significant change McKay’s day-to-day duties and role with the organization.

Ryan and White celebrate the game-winner in 2010

Recapping news and headlines involving the Falcons from the week of June 12…

Roddy shows up

Roddy White participated in his first player-organized workout on Tuesday this week. White had been absent at the player-organized Falcons workouts this off-season thus far this season. Per quarterback Matt Ryan, White showed up in good shape and was productive in his first practice. Last week, White was in his hometown of James Island, SC for a youth football camp. (Source: D. Orlando Ledbetter, AJC)

Sanders to represent Falcons in HOF

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that 2011 inductee and former Falcons cornerback Deion Sanders sent in his Falcons helmet along with a game ball from 1990 to Canton as part of a special exhibit that will be devoted to the 2011 inductee class.

Sanders was a first round pick by the Falcons in 1989, starring for five seasons with the Falcons before joining the San Francisco 49ers in 1994. He then played five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, and then joined the Washington Redskins in 2000. Sanders initially retired, but came out of retirement to spend two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens in 2004 and 2005. Sanders made 8 Pro Bowls during his 13-year NFL career, including 3 in Atlanta.

When he left Atlanta in 1993, he was the team’s all-time leader in punt return touchdowns, kickoff return touchdowns, and kickoff yardage. Those records have since been eclipsed. He currently sits seventh all-time on the Falcons interception leaders list with 24, as well as tied for the lead with 3 interception return touchdowns.

The gameball comes from a 38-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on a Sunday Night matchup on October 28, 1990. In that game, he returned a 79-yard punt for a touchdown, which continues to hold the record for longest in team history.

The 2011 class will be enshrined at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium on August 6, 2011. Sanders will be inducted along with defensive lineman Richard Dent, running back Marshall Faulk, linebackers Chris Hanburger and Les Richter, tight end Shannon Sharpe, and NFL Films founder Ed Sabol. (Source: Pro Football Hall of Fame)

Falcons promote Polk

The team announced that they had promoted pro scout DeJuan Polk to pro personnel coordinator. Polk first joined the organization in 2006 where he worked as a pro personnel assistant. He became Midwest regional scout in the college scouting department in 2008 and then moved back to pro scouting the following year.  (Source: Jay Adams, AtlantaFalcons.com)

Babineaux gets a Day

Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux is being honored by the Atlanta City Council for his off-field and charity work. Monday, June 20 will be declared “Jonathan Babineaux Day.” Babineaux contributes to over 50 Atlanta-area charities and non-profit organizations. He made donations exceeding $50,000 worth of Falcons home game tickets, some of which were awarded to deaf and blind children in order to experience their first NFL game. Babineaux, along with his brother Jordan, a defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks, established the Babineaux Family Foundation in 2005, which raises funds for lupus research. The brothers’ foundation will host its seventh annual golf tournament on Saturday, June 25 in Beaumont, Texas. Proceeds will benefit the Lupus Foundation, area student scholarships, and local community development. (Source: Sarah Baldwin, CBS Atlanta)

Dunn awarded with Jefferson

Falcons minority owner and former running back Warrick Dunn has been honored with the Jefferson Award, one of the country’s highest honors for community service. They were created in 1972 to be a Nobel Prize for public service. Along with 16 others, Dunn will receive the award in the category of Outstanding Athlete in Service and Philanthropy at a gala in Washington, DC on Tuesday, June 21.

Dunn started his Homes for the Holidays program in 1997, his rookie season in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to honor his late mother’s dream of homeownership. Through his foundation, Dunn has awarded over 100 homes to single-parent families in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Tallahassee, and Tampa areas. Dunn’s mother was a Baton Rouge police officer that was gunned down while off-duty in 1993, two days after Dunn’s 18th birthday, leaving him in charge of the care of his five siblings.

Dunn joined the Falcons in 2002, and played six seasons with the team. He retired after the 2008 season, a year after re-joining the Buccaneers. He bought a minority stake in the Falcons organization from Arthur Blank in December 2009.

Last year, Oakland Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha was honored in Dunn’s category, and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning won the award in 2006. (Source: Heather Dinich, ESPN)

Recapping some of the headlines and news involving the Falcons from the week of May 22…

WR Julio Jones

Jones returns to practice field

Falcons top wide receiver Julio Jones joined his teammates in player-organized workouts on Tuesday. Jones has been cleared by doctors to resume activities, although he is not quite running full speed. Jones had surgery to repair the broken foot following his impressive Combine performance in February. Initial reports had him at about an eight-week rehabilitation period before he could get back on the field. (Source: The Associated Press)

No Hard Knocks for Falcons

Falcons head coach Mike Smith nixed any plans for the Falcons to be on HBO’s show Hard Knocks this season. The Emmy-winning show has depicted NFL teams in past years during their training camps. Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said a week ago in a radio interview that the Falcons were open to the idea of being on the show. Smith’s comments indicate that the Falcons could remain open to doing the show in 2012 or beyond. (Source: Scott Hanson, NFL Network)

Falcons cut office pay

The Falcons have begun to cut the pay of lower-level office employees as a measure to cut expenditures during the current lockout. Several other NFL teams have begun to furlough non-football staff. (Source: Jeff Schulz, AJC)

NOchocinco in Atlanta

A team source that says rumors of Cincinnati Bengal wide receiver Chad Ochocinco signing with the Falcons this year “ain’t happenin’.” D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC reported last week that a move to get Ochocinco made sense due to his relationship with new Falcons quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowski, who formerly was the Bengals offensive coordinator for ten seasons. Pasquarelli reports that the relationship of Bratkowski and Ochocinco isn’t as close as previously suggested. (Source: Len Pasquarelli, FOX Sports)

Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com reports that the Falcons have announced the extension of general manager Thomas Dimitroff to an undisclosed multi-year deal.

Dimitroff’s extension follows that of head coach Mike Smith, who got three years added to his deal back at the beginning of February. Dimitroff is coming off a year in which he was named The Sporting News’ top NFL executive. Dimitroff has been instrumental in the rapid ascension of the Falcons since being hired in 2008, due to his solid drafting, free agency moves, and the decision to hire Smith in the first place. He is considered one of the brightest young minds in the business.

Thomas Dimitroff

The Sporting News announced that they have named Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff as their NFL Executive of the Year. The award is voted on by 47 NFL front office personnel including other GMs, owners, and coaches. Dimitroff led the voting with 13 votes, and Kansas City Chiefs GM Scott Pioli came in second with 8 votes.

Dimitroff was hired by the Falcons before the 2008 season after serving as the director of college scouting for the New England Patriots for five seasons. Dimitroff’s personnel moves have been instrumental for the quick turn-around of the Falcons and their having three consecutive winning seasons for the first time in franchise history. He has brought in veterans such as Michael Turner, Tony Gonzalez, and Dunta Robinson the past three off-seasons, as well as spearheading the Falcons draft selections of Matt Ryan, Curtis Lofton, Kroy Biermann, and William Moore.

Dimitroff is currently amidst negotiations for a well-deserved contract extension with the Falcons.

Rich McKay

ESPN.com reports that sources have confirmed that Falcons president Rich McKay has received a five-year extension.

McKay served as the team’s GM and president from December 2003 to December 2007. In January 2008, Thomas Dimitroff was hired as the team’s new general manager and McKay has remained as president. That same month, the Falcons extended McKay’s deal through 2010. Presumably, his new deal will extend his stay in Atlanta through 2015.

McKay serves as co-chair of the league’s competition committee alongside Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, a role he’s served since 1998.