The Atlanta Falcons are resetting once again.
Just hours after the regular-season finale on Sunday, the team fired coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot. Both of Morris’ seasons at the helm concluded with 8-9 records.
Fontenot had been the general manager for the past five years and oversaw several controversial moves, including the selection of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall a little more than a month after the Falcons signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Despite closing the campaign out with four consecutive wins, the Falcons opted to make a change at the top.
‘I have great personal affinity for both Raheem and Terry and appreciate their hard work and dedication to the Falcons, but I believe we need new leadership in these roles moving forward,’ Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. ‘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.’
Expectations were high for Atlanta entering the season as the organization sought to break an active playoff drought only surpassed by the New York Jets. With Penix taking over as the full-time starter after a promising three-game stint to close out 2024, the Falcons sought to unleash an explosive offense keyed by running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London.
But Penix struggled with his ball placement, and the Falcons offense floundered in both scoring and third-down conversions in the early going. After a 3-2 start, the team went on a five-game losing streak that would torpedo its playoff hopes and extend its run of consecutive losing seasons to eight.
In mid-November, Penix suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, ending his season. The former Washington and Indiana passer suffered two torn ACLs in college.
Still, Robinson finished the year with an NFL-best 2,298 yards from scrimmage.
‘We’ve got enough people in place right now to have done what we needed to, and that’s what’s so frustrating for us,’ Morris said Sunday after the season finale against the New Orleans Saints.
Last April, Atlanta gave up its 2026 first-round pick in order to secure edge rusher James Pearce Jr. with the No. 26 overall selection. Along with fellow first-rounder Jalon Walker, Pearce was brought aboard to invigorate a pass rush that had netted by far the fewest sacks of any organization from 2019-24. Pearce set the franchise single-season rookie sack record with 10 ½, and the unit overall ranked second in the NFL with 57 thanks to defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s blitz-happy approach.
But the Falcons ended up surrendering a pick in the top half of the first round of the 2026 NFL draft to the Rams, leaving the team with few resources to address holes in the receiving corps and elsewhere.
Morris is the third coach to be fired this season after the Tennessee Titans dismissed Brian Callahan and the New York Giants parted ways with Brian Daboll.
(This story has been updated with new information.)
