Jeremy Fowler, Mark Raimondi, Dan Graziano and Matt Miller reported on this story.
Atlanta–the atlanta falcons Despite finishing the season with a four-match winning streak, a clean sweep on Sunday night.
The organization has fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot. According to the franchise, the search to fill both the positions will begin immediately and will be concurrent.
The Falcons have neither made the playoffs nor posted a winning record since 2017, and owner Arthur Blank’s patience is clearly wearing thin. Fontenot did not coach a winning team in five years as GM. Morris went 8–9 in both of his seasons. The Falcons face a losing streak of four consecutive games in 2024 and a losing streak of five consecutive games in 2025.
Meanwhile, the team still has not found a successor as the franchise quarterback for Matt Ryan, who was fired in 2021.
The Falcons have a good, young core at running back bijan robinsonwide receiver drake london and side runners James Pierce Jr.And jalon walker –but the next administration won’t have the benefit of a first-round pick in 2026. quarterback Michael Penix Jr.has been sidelined a torn acl And the jury is still out on whether he can become a top-tier QB. he was supposed to be a backup cancer cousinwith whom the Falcons signed a $100 million deal just weeks before drafting Penix. But Cousins struggled and was injured in 2024, causing Penix to play out the end of his rookie season sooner than expected.
National NFL reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, Falcons reporter Mark Raimondi and NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller analyze the moves from different angles.
Why did he not save his job even after registering four consecutive wins in four matches?
Fowler: Because the win, although great and proving that Morris had not lost the locker room, was largely hollow. The Falcons needed that intensity after going 3-7 in the first 10 games. At the time, league sources expected Atlanta to make the change. The winning streak left some employees cautiously optimistic. But it was not enough.
Why did ownership decide to fire both of them at the same time?
Fowler: The Falcons realized a complete reset was needed. GM Terry Fontenot had been there for five years without a winning record. Teams value the synergy of hiring a general manager and head coach at the same time so they can move forward together. Atlanta recently hired consulting firm Sportsology to evaluate football operations, and it is also exploring the possibility of adding Ryan to a front office role. Those two moves scream “we need change.” So, this Blank is taking it upon himself to fix up his building.
How big a factor was the way the QB situation turned out?
Fowler: Quite big. The Falcons essentially got two big quarterback swings in Penix and Cousins, and neither made much progress. An injury to Penix – staying true to his collegiate calling card as an injury prone player – soured Fontenot’s draft profile a bit.
Morris’s offense did not fit the Penix offense run by Zach Robinson in the eyes of many scouts and coaches, who felt he needed more of a vertical attack to utilize his arm strength.
How attractive are the positions to prospective candidates?
Fowler: This is one of the better jobs available. Robinson and a good offensive line will attract many top offensive line candidates. And the defense is loaded with young talent. However, the owner is not the most patient, as he is proving. But the Falcons are in a very winnable division in a national center with a blank canvas to improve the on-field product in a hurry.
What challenges will a new GM and coach face?
Raimondi: It is unclear who will be the team’s starting quarterback through Week 1 of next season and beyond. Penix could be out until at least training camp with a torn ACL. And, by the way, this is his third ACL surgery in eight seasons. Penix tore his right ACL twice in college. Furthermore, in 12 career starts, Penix has been inconsistent, and no one yet knows if he can become a franchise quarterback.
The Falcons neither have a first-round pick nor a lot of cap space in 2026. Releasing Cousins with a post-June 1 designation could save them nearly $30 million, but there are still plenty of holes to fill. Fontenot neglected the trenches for the most part, and the Falcons will need help on both lines and in the secondary.
What type of candidates will be considered the strongest for both the positions?
graziano: The Falcons announced they hired two search firms – one for a head coach and one for a GM, but that seems to miss the point entirely. They need to find a person – ideally a coach – who can establish and maintain the vision and plan for the entire organization. They need to make sure the coach and GM are in agreement on every single decision. This is how it works in places like San Francisco, where the 49ers hired the coach first and allowed him to choose the GM, or Jacksonville, where the coach brought in his favorite GM to work with the team president, but all three are clearly aligned.
Atlanta needs to find someone who can be the Penix’s Ben Johnson Caleb Williams And build the roster around a talented young quarterback. First find the coach, ask him which GM he’d like to work with, hire that guy and watch them cook. Kevin Stefanski? Brian Flores with a solid offensive coordinator? Heck, Mike Tomlin if he becomes available? Grab your guy who is obviously a guy and let him figure out what your organization should be about. There is no other right way to do it.
How big a loss will it be for GM candidates not to be selected in the first round?
Miller: Trade 2026 first-rounder to Rams to get James Pierce Jr.Seems like a smart move, given the rookie edge rusher’s success (his 10,5 sacks are a franchise rookie record) and the lack of top-tier talent in this year’s draft class,
The Falcons’ roster has talent at running back as well as a core group on defense that is impressive, so the lack of a Round 1 pick in a draft class that has just 11 players with true first-round grades on my board shouldn’t be a deterrent for incoming GM candidates. Sure, the rebuilding job will be a little more complicated without a first-rounder, but the Falcons could address a second-rounder on another day. I like the fit for the Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad Round 2 and Texas Tech defensive lineman lee hunter In round 3.
