Atlanta Falcons Owner Arthur Blank Going With Full Reset In Firing Raheem Morris And Terry Fontenot
Atlanta hasn't had winning record since 2017 and never under Terry Fontenot nor Raheem Morris
Remember a couple of years ago when the Atlanta Falcons were seriously considering hiring Bill Belichick? Remember they didn't do it because owner Arthur Blank selected Raheem Morris instead?
And remember that one reason Blank didn't do it is because he asked his football leadership, including general manager Terry Fontenot, for their opinion on all the candidates and the club leaders didn't vote for Belichick as their first pick … or second pick … or third pick?
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 03: Owner Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons celebrates after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 03, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Falcon Fire Entire Football Leadership
Well, karma came calling for the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, with Blank firing Morris and Fontenot and setting his franchise for a full reset.
"I have great personal affinity for both Raheem and Terry and appreciate their hard work and dedication to the Falcons," Blank said in a statement. "But I believe we need new leadership in these roles moving forward.
"The decision to move away from people who represent the organization so well and have a shared commitment to the values that are important to the organization is not an easy one, but the results on the field have not met our expectations or those of our fans and leadership.
"I wish Raheem and Terry the absolute best in their future pursuits."
Morris was hired in the hopes he could bring a Sean McVay-type offense and turnaround to the club after he worked with the Los Angeles Rams previously. The turnaround never manifested as Morris could only manage two 8-9 seasons.
For the Falcons, that was merely par for the course because they haven't had a winning record since 2017 and have been mostly mediocre for much of that time.
(Yes, the Super Bowl defeat against Belichick and the Patriots apparently took their souls).
Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot during the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Terry Fontenot QB Move Missed
Fontenot, hired in 2021, never had a winning season as the club's general manager. He clearly was aware his status was at risk, so in the 2024 offseason he took a home run swing to try to solve the quarterback position.
He signed Kirk Cousins to a $180 million contract and, some 40 days later, surprised the entire NFL – and Cousins – by drafting Michael Penix.
Cousins started early in 2024. Then he lost his starting job in December.
This year Penix Jr. started. Then the player who had multiple knee injuries in college suffered a knee injury and was done for the season.
Two big swings and two big misses.
Searches Will Be Concurrent
Now the Falcons will begin their search for new leadership as early as Monday. And former quarterback Matt Ryan may have a role in the matter.
The searches for the head coach and general manager roles will be run through outside firms.
ZRG Partners will assist on the head coach search and Sportsology Group will assist on the general manager search. No timeline has been set for completion of either search, but they will occur concurrently.