If Falcons Fire Terry Fontenot, Who Should Replace Him?

The Atlanta Falcons find themselves at an important crossroads this offseason. No matter what the result of Sunday’s game is, they will be left outside of the postseason for an eighth straight season, five of which have come under general manager Terry Fontenot.

The Falcons' general manager has a 36-48 record and has yet to lead the team to a winning record while in charge, but the team has also never finished with fewer than seven wins. While he navigated the franchise through a brutal cap situation, he has not been able to get them through to the next step in that process.

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It remains to be seen what will come of the Falcons’ front office over the next week, but it is still worth taking a look at what could be out there for them. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer took a closer look at who could be in the mix with his annual hot list.

Falcons OnSi identified some of the candidates that drew our interest.

The NFL insider identified candidates that could be potential options for teams this offseason, with the categorization of ‘on the doorstep’ – or, candidates that will in play for any of the open jobs – versus ‘closing in’ – or, names to know for future opening, but could get their name in the mix this cycle.

Of his on the doorstep candidates, he included Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds, Bills assistant GM Terrance Gray, Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby, and Packers VP of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan.

Cunningham is instantly one of the intriguing candidates, having worked with the Ravens’ Ozzie Newsome (2008-2016) and the Eagles’ Howie Roseman (2017-2021) during his career, and winning a Super Bowl with both franchises. Like Fontenot, he cut his teeth as a scout before becoming the assistant general manager for the Bears in 2022, but he has touched nearly every aspect of front operations.

In 2020, he was included on a list of The Athletic’s ‘40 under 40’ for those considered to be rising stars in the NFL. By 2025, he had played a central role in the turnaround of the Bears.

-Another interesting name that stands out is Halaby, a guy who Breer refers to as “true of a protégé of Roseman as any who has come from the Philadelphia pipeline—a whip-smart resource who’s earned his place as a close confidant of the Super Bowl–winning GM.”

Halaby has a similar makeup to Roseman, which could be something that franchises would try to emulate, and he has a primarily analytical background. He has been with the Eagles since 2007, but was named assistant general manager in 2022 after spending six seasons as the team’s vice president of football operations and strategy. During his tenure with the Eagles, Halaby has focused on player evaluation, roster management, and resource allocation with a modern approach that could be worth looking into.

The third one that piqued our interest was Sullivan from the Packers, a finalist for the Titans’ job last offseason. He is the son of longtime NFL receivers coach Jerry Sullivan, and Breer highlights his ability to “marry player evaluation with specific systems.”

Sullivan also played a central role in bringing in Matt LeFleur in 2019 and drafting Jordan Love in 2020, an important thing to keep in mind given where the Falcons find themselves this offseason, should changes come to Flowery Branch.

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These are just a handful of the potential targets that could be highlighted should general manager roles open up this offseason. As of now, there are no such roles, but that could always change come Monday morning.