Atlanta Falcons Make Swift Decision on Raheem Morris, Terry Fontenot

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons have fired head coach Raheem Morris after two seasons and general manager Terry Fontenot after five. The decision comes down just a few hours after the team defeated the New Orleans Saints 19-17 to finish at 8-9 and on a four-game winning streak.

Ironically, the Falcons were in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South, despite the fact that they had been eliminated from the postseason for more than a month. This marked the eighth straight season that the franchise finished without a winning record and outside the playoffs.

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Morris will finish with a record of 16-18 in Atlanta, while Fontenot’s record as general manager will end at 37-48 after five years without a single trip to the playoffs.

The Falcons were expected to take the next step this season, and the front office was banking on it, as evidenced by some aggressive roster-building moves.

In 2024, Fontenot signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract before drafting rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. The move confused many at the time, and it has since created several moments of controversy for the coaching staff.

Largely due to injuries, the team has flipped between the two players over the last two seasons to disappointing results.

Ironically, the Falcons will reside in the very ‘quarterback purgatory’ that they so desperately tried to avoid with that move.

In 2025, Fontenot made a trade with the Los Angeles Rams to get back into the first round of the NFL Draft to select edge rusher James Pearce Jr. While heavily criticized at the time, the move has appeared to work out in the Falcons’ favor, as the pass rusher finished his rookie campaign with 10.5 sacks.

For Morris, the season fell apart in the middle of the year after the Falcons lost five-straight games and derailed any hope of snapping their dreadful stretch.

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“We keep finding ways to make it tough,” Raheem Morris said after one of those losses. “We certainly do that. Very winnable game for us. We’ve got to find a way to make a play. We keep saying every single week, ‘Somebody's got to make a play. Step up at the end.’ Whether it be offense, defense, or special teams. Had some opportunities and was not able to get away with it.”

The last time the Falcons won four games in a row came in 2019, in very similar circumstances. Then-head coach Dan Quinn finished the season on the stretch, despite having been eliminated from the playoffs. The Falcons made several aggressive moves that offseason to compete right away, but owner Arthur Blank decided to clean house after the team started 0-5 that season.

It appears that he will not risk something similar this time around, and the franchise will be going in a new direction in 2026. Now, the Falcons will be left looking for a fourth new coach to lead them in seven seasons.