While Sunday brought a season-ending victory for the Atlanta Falcons, the team appears to be completely resetting things ahead of next season.
Updates arrived just hours after the team defeated the New Orleans Saints, 19-17, that they had fired head coach Raheem Morris, 49, after just two seasons coaching the team. In addition, the Falcons reported that they fired Terry Fontenot, 45, as the team’s general manager.
Morris served as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011 and worked with the Falcons from 2015 through 2020 in various coaching roles. He was the team’s interim head coach in 2020, but then joined the Los Angeles Rams as a defensive coordinator in 2021.
Fontenot became the team’s general manager in January 2021. He made headlines in June 2024 when he was fined $50,000 for violating the anti-tampering policy after an NFL investigation into the team’s signing of quarterback Kirk Cousins that offseason.
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As the Falcons’ interim coach in 2020, Morris went 4-7. Over the past two seasons, he posted a 16-18 overall record, going 8-9 in both seasons without getting into the postseason.
The team’s 8-9 record was good enough for a tie with division rivals Tampa Bay and the Carolina Panthers. However, the Panthers made the playoffs because they owned the tiebreaker, having a better record against the other two teams.
It meant a seven-year playoff drought for the team and eight seasons without winning the NFC South division.
There were some bright spots for the team with young quarterback Michael Penix Jr. looking like he could help the Falcons make some noise. Unfortunately, Penix went down with a left knee injury in Week 11 and ultimately needed season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn ACL.
Most likely, Morris will be one of several coaches relieved of their duties in the coming days. There are also reports that the Raiders could part ways with coach Pete Carroll, unless he decides to retire.
The reset moves in Atlanta arrived despite several of the team’s players expressing their hope that Morris would be back as their coach for the 2026 season. He was previously part of two Super Bowl-winning coaching staffs, with Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Rams, but couldn’t lead the Falcons to similar success with a postseason appearance.
As of this report, NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk indicates that the Falcons have the No. 13 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, noting that they traded their first-round pick to the Rams.
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