Terry Fontenot's 5 Best Moves as GM of the Atlanta Falcons

When Terry Fontenot took over the general manager role with the Atlanta Falcons in January of 2021, he took over a team that was old, bad, and broke. Coming off a four-win season, with an aging core, and salary cap problems left over from the previous regime, it was a tough job.

While Fontenot's five-year tenure didn't produce a winning season, the Falcons are clearly in a better position financially and competitively than they were before he took over.

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When coming up with this list, it wasn't just about the best player. Drake London was a fantastic pick, but he didn't make this list, because it was a wide receiver-heavy draft, and Atlanta could have gotten similar value from Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, who went two and three picks later, respectively.

There was nothing particularly daring or overachieving by picking London and Jalon Walker in 2025, so they aren't on the list as best moves.

Let's take a look at the five best moves Fontenot made in five seasons.

No. 5 Jessie Bates III, Safety, Free Agent 2023

Nov 26, 2023; Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) reacts as he runs for a touchdown after intercepting a pass against the New Orleans Saints | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Bates was literally an immediate impact player for the Falcons when he signed as a free agent in 2023. He had two interceptions in his first game with the team in the Falcons' 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Fontenot paid a premium for him, a four-year, $62 million contract that included $36 million in guaranteed money. Bates turned in an All-Pro season in return and has played at a Pro Bowl level the last two years.

Bates may have seemed like an obvious choice in free agency, but convincing him to come to Atlanta took more than Arthur Blank's checkbook, and spending that much on a non-premium position, or any free agent for that matter, is risky. Bates will go down in history as one of the Falcons' best-ever free agent signings.

Heading into 2026, Bates carries a $24.8 million cap hit with a base salary of $13 million. His dead cap number is $18.3 million, meaning the Falcons could save a significant amount of money, as much as $19 million, if they were able to trade him this offseason.

He turns 29 next month and may be looking for a "win now" team, and a $25 million safety might be a luxury this team really can't afford while they look to add to their meager five draft picks.

No. 4 Kaden Elliss, Linebacker, Free Agent 2023

Kaden Elliss was signed by the Atlanta Falcons from the New Orleans Saints in 2023. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Elliss was also part of the 2023 free agent class as Fontenot navigated the Falcons out of two years of "cap hell." He was a relative bargain at three years and $21.5 million and was the MVP of the Falcons' defense this year.

He was originally brought in to improve a long-dormant pass rush, but recurring injuries to Troy Andersen meant Elliss had to play a more traditional inside linebacker role. He thrived there too.

Elliss compiled 380 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and 29 tackles for loss in his three seasons since signing. He's scheduled to be a free agent in March, and he should be a priority target of the new regime. If he decides to leave, Divine Deablo (who just missed this list) will be the only linebacker under contract.

No. 3 Brandon Dorlus, DL, 2024 4th-Round Pick

Brandon Dorlus of the Atlanta Falcons led the NFC in sacks by an interior lineman. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Dorlus went through the pre-draft process as a defensive end, but he didn't quite have the quickness to play outside, and seemingly didn't have the size to play inside. He fell to the Falcons in the fourth round.

He was a casualty his rookie season in defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake's two-man front and basically took a redshirt year.

Jeff Ulbrich took over as defensive coordinator, and Dorlus found a home as a 3-4 end, moving inside in pass rush situations.

He was a revelation this year. He led all NFC interior linemen with 8.5 sacks in 15 games. He has two years left on his rookie deal that averages $1.2 million.

Taking a look at the pay of interior linemen across the NFL, the 16th-highest paid player is
Osa Odighizuwa of the Dallas Cowboys at $20 million, making Dorlus one of the biggest bargains in the NFL.

Dorlus avoided a serious knee injury two weeks ago against the Rams and is expected to be full speed for all of the Falcons' offseason activities.

No. 2 Bijan Robinson, Running Back, 2023 No. 8 Overall Pick

Bijan Robinson was a controversial pick at the time when he went No. 8 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Robinson was seen as the most talented running back in the draft since Saquon Barkley. He was as close to a can't-miss prospect as there was coming out of college.

So how could such an obvious choice be one of the best moves? Because it wasn't obvious at the time. It's taken the last three or four years to make the running back position cool again, and Robinson played a part in that transition.

No one batted an eye two years later when the Raiders selected Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick, and they didn't have an offensive line in place as the Falcons did.

Fontenot and the Falcons were lambasted for taking a non-premium position in the top 10. ESPN analytics writer Seth Walder went as far as to call it "unexplainable" at the time.

Robinson just finished his third season with the Falcons. He's the face of the franchise and led the NFL in scrimmage yards.

He looks like a bargain at No. 8.

No. 1 James Pearce Jr. Edge and Xavier Watts, Safety - 2025/2026 NFL Draft

James Pearce Jr. and Xavier Watts may turn into the parting gift to the Atlanta Falcons from Terry Fontenot. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Fontenot made several outside-the-box moves in his five-year tenure that drew a lot of criticism. Of those, his draft-day trade in April that led to the acquisition of James Pearce Jr. in the first round and Xavier Watts in the third round drew the second most, only behind the resource allocation of getting Cousins and Penix in 2024.

Watts immediately became the forgotten man as national analysts took turns blasting Fontenot and the Falcons for trading a second-round pick in 2025 and a future first-round pick in 2026 to move back into the first round and select Pearce at No. 26 overall.

Watts was always part of the deal as the Rams kicked back a third-round pick to the Falcons. He was an immediate starter and will be on every All-Rookie team across the universe when the various outlets release them this month.

The Athletic's analytics loved the Falcons' draft. But the analysts, including the one whose grades were used to feed the analytics, crushed the Falcons.

What if the Falcons fail, and the pick ends up in the top 10? They asked. The pick ended up being No. 13 overall to the Rams in April.

What they never seemed to ask was what that pick be worth if he turned into a premium edge rusher. After 10.5 sacks, the most by a rookie since Micah Parsons, James Pearce Jr. was a premium edge rusher this year.

If the Falcons decided they absolutely had to have a first-round pick in 2026, they could get more than No. 13 overall in exchange for Pearce. They won't do that, because he's more valuable than the No. 13 overall they gave up.

Pending today's outcome(s), the Rams are picking No. 12 with the pick they got from the Falcons. Who would trade James Pearce Jr. for the No. 12 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft?

No one from the Falcons pic.twitter.com/eiCqRTIZv7
— Scott Kennedy (@ScoutKennedy) January 4, 2026

Fontenot traded a first and a second and was a punchline nationally immediately following the draft. Expect draft analysts to get a case of amnesia in March and April when it comes to the Falcons.

They'll forget that trade netted them James Pearce Jr. and Xavier Watts, and for all the flack that Terry Fontenot caught in Atlanta, his final move, was his best.