Falcons hire former GM Scott Pioli

— -- MOBILE, Ala. -- The Atlanta Falcons have hired former Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli as assistant general manager under Thomas Dimitroff.

"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 in a statement released Wednesday. "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 was the vice president of player personnel with the New England Patriots and worked alongside Dimitroff for six seasons.

"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 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 began his NFL career when he was hired by Bill Belichick as a scouting assistant for the Cleveland Browns in 1992. He joined Belichick and the Patriots in 2000 as a national scout before being promoted to director of college scouting the following year.

Pioli will join the Falcons' staff on Feb. 3, when his contract with NBC Sports Network and Sirius XM Radio is complete.