The Atlanta Falcons are making some shakeups after an 8-9 finish.
The Atlanta Falcons have officially fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot, hours after the team’s final regular season 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints to complete an 8-9 finish. Morris has been the coach of the Falcons since 2024, with Fontenot there since 2021.
"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."
Atlanta will look for their replacements immediately. In addition, the front office had some shakeups, as team president Greg Beadles succeeded Rich McKay as president and CEO. Blank plans to bring in a new president of football ops from outside the building.
The Falcons won their final four games to close the year out, and there was hope expressed among some star players per ESPN – notably Drake London, Jessie Bates III and Bijan Robinson – that Morris would return for a third year.
"I want Rah back with all my heart," London said.
Atlanta is in the midst of the second-longest playoff drought in the league, not sniffing the postseason since 2017. They haven’t had a winning record in eight seasons. Under Morris, the Falcons went 16-18. Morris was hired in January of 2024 from the Los Angeles Rams where he was their defensive coordinator for three years, including their Super Bowl win. He had extensive time in Atlanta, joining the staff in 2015 and becoming defensive coordinator under Dan Quinn. He was the team’s interim coach when Quinn was fired that year in 2020. He had only been a head coach for the Tampa Bay Bucs, where he went 17-31 from 2009 to 2011.
Fontenot spent 17 seasons with the Saints and went to Atlanta to take his first GM role. Under Fontenot, the Falcons have had Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. under center. He was ultimately never able to replace longtime franchise quarterback Matt Ryan, which would prove to be his eventual downfall.