The Atlanta Falcons are hitting the reset button on their coaching and front office positions following a disappointing 8-9 campaign.
Despite ending the season on a high note following their 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta once again missed the playoffs, marking the 8th straight season they’ve done so. As a result, the team announced that they would be parting ways with head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot.
“No statement can change the disappointment of the past several seasons,” said owner Arthur Blank in a prepared statement. “I know we have fallen short of the standard you expect and we as an organization have for ourselves. That responsibility rests with me. When results do not match expectations over time, as the owner, accountability cannot be shared or softened. I believe this team should be competing at a higher level than it has, and I share your deep frustration.”
“You, our fans, and the community we are proud to represent are the heartbeat of this franchise. Week after week, season after season, you show up, you believe, and you support this team with pride. You have invested your time, money and emotion into the Falcons, and that commitment deserves a team that competes for championships year in and year out. We have not delivered that consistently enough in recent years. To respect your continuous support of our team and the necessity to put a consistently winning product on the field, we recently put everything on the table to determine how to best move forward.”
Blank would go on to say that Atlanta would be adding a new President of Football Operations moving forward who will “set the vision and indentity for our team”. While he ultimately stopped short of naming this individual, reports indicate that the Falcons have been in talks with former QB Matt Ryan about a prominent front office position for 2026.
In the meantime, Greg Beadles has been elevated from team president to president & CEO, succeeding Rich McKay in the role.
“Greg will continue oversight of all business affairs of the Falcons and collaborate closely with the new president of football to ensure all resources and operational support are working toward the goal of a winning product on the field, and that we continue to deliver for our fans in every way,” Blank said.
Despite having a bevy of talent on offence (Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Kyle Pitts) and several promising pieces on defence, Atlanta has failed to post a winning record since 2017. Much of that can be attributed to inconsistent QB play, as the team has cycled through numerous options since trading Matt Ryan in 2021.
The Falcons have tried out Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke, Kirk Cousins, and Michael Penix Jr. under centre, with little in terms of on field success. The lack of clarity in the QB room made national headlines when just 6 weeks after signing Cousins to a 4 year contract, they drafted Penix with the 8th overall pick in the NFL Draft.
This created an uncomfortable dynamic from the get go despite both players professionalism and attempts to downplay the situation. Now with Penix out for 9-12 months following yet another ACL tear, it will be interesting to see how Atlanta approaches the offseason with Cousins set to enter his age 38 season, and a much more manageable $35M dead cap hit if they opt to move on from him.
“I understand trust is built through action, not words,” Blank continued. “Honesty, effort and accountability must be reflected in the way this organization operates and performs. Moving forward, every decision will be made with one clear objective – building a team capable of sustained success and competing for championships. I am confident that our new football structure and leadership will have us contending again soon. We are laser-focused on filling these key roles and others with outstanding talent and empowering them correctly ahead of this critical offseason.”
Despite their sub .500 season, Atlanta will not have a first round pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft after executing a trade last season with the Los Angeles Rams. LA will now pick 13th overall this coming spring.
Photo: Atlanta Falcons. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.