ESPN Insiders Address Job Security of Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot

The Atlanta Falcons will be below .500 and sitting at home after Week 18 for the eighth season in a row. The playoff drought is both the second-worst mark in the NFL and tied for the worst in franchise history, and the urgency at Flowery Branch seems to find a new gear with every passing season.

With the second season for Raheem Morris (and fifth season with Terry Fontenot) set to end with the Falcons at either 8-9 or 7-10, pending their Week 18 result, the future has grown increasingly uncertain. ESPN’s NFL insiders, Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, addressed where the Falcons could stand as they enter the final game of the 2025 season.

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The pair of insiders addressed the jobs that could open up, identified some interesting candidates, and more in their offseason preview.

“Atlanta still seems like a spot to watch, given how far short of expectations the Falcons have fallen with Raheem Morris,” Graziano wrote.

Fowler pushed back, writing that the last three games have made up for some of the midseason shortcomings, but he is “not sure” it will be enough.

“The Falcons have not quit on Morris, who has railed off three consecutive wins to make his case for a third year in Atlanta. But that doesn't ensure his return. Morris would most likely need to make staff changes if he does stay. Special teams has been a bugaboo, and quarterback Michael Penix Jr.'s development hasn't proceeded as hoped.”

The same cannot be said about Fonenot, per Fowler.

“Falcons owner Arthur Blank will evaluate the team's football operation at the conclusion of the season. General manager Terry Fontenot is finishing his fifth year at the helm. Over that time, the Falcons have not produced a winning season, which is hard to overcome. Of the 18 sitting general managers with at least five years of experience, only one -- the Rams' Les Snead, in the middle of a move from St. Louis to Los Angeles -- failed to produce a winning season through the first five years. So this is a spot people around the league who follow such things have been monitoring closely for potential change, despite the team showing signs of life in recent weeks and its 2025 draft picks emerging.”

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The Falcons have had a disappointing 2025, but they could still finish it on a high note after starting 4-9. They have won three straight games and four of their last six, but it has all come too late to make a difference this season.

Despite the possibility that they could finish in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South, the Falcons have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs for a month. How much impact the final stretch of the season will have remains to be seen, but the next week will prove to be critical in the immediate future of this franchise.