Terry Fontenot has a flair for the dramatic, which is evident in his past couple of draft classes, but much of his boldness stems from Arthur Blank.

Falcons reporter Mark Zinno has it on good authority that the Michael Penix Jr. splash after signing Kirk Cousins was pushed by Blank. After more than a decade of stability under the tutelage of Matt Ryan, the Falcons were in quarterback purgatory for years. Blank wasn’t going to let that happen any longer.

And again, it seems the owner’s fingerprints are all over the Falcons’ aggressive approach to the 2025 draft, according to reports from ESPN’s Marc Raimondi.

“Just a few weeks after Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he had a “very clear” conversation with Fontenot and coach Raheem Morris about how disappointed he was with last season’s 8-9 record, the front office displayed a win-now mentality. If the Falcons extend their streak of missing the playoffs to eight years, the team’s 2026 draft picks might be made by a different regime. But for now, confidence was flying high.”

I don’t think any Falcons fan is unhappy with the haul of players Fontenot came away with, but it’s fair to question the amount of capital he gave up for James Pearce Jr., and it would deserve even more scrutiny if it were because of a desperate owner.

If it works out, nobody will care, but Blank’s constant meddling has rarely worked out for the best. I’m certainly not going to say the Falcons were wrong to do what they did in the draft. I liked the aggressiveness. However, it’s also impossible to deny that pressure from ownership is a terrible spot for a general manager to be in.

We came into this offseason thinking that Terry Fontenot’s job was on the line, and that’s a dangerous proposition. A general manager making decisions today without a care for tomorrow is a recipe for disaster. Hopefully, it works out, and it’s all a moot point, but pretending like it doesn’t have the potential to bite the Falcons in the ass is asinine.

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Photographer: Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire