Falcons officially name Terry Fontenot the next general manager

Since the beginning, it has felt like Terry Fontenot — the former Saints Vice President and Assistant GM of Pro Personnel — was the favorite to become the next general manager in Atlanta. It was just a matter of ironing out some details, and the Saints being eliminated from the playoffs. Once the latter happened on Sunday, we all were patiently waiting for the announcement, which came this morning from the Falcons.

It’s official! We have named Terry Fontenot our next general manager. https://t.co/HKRAGlaOJE

— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 19, 2021

Atlanta’s new leader in the front office will meet for the first time with the media today, along with the Falcons next head coach, Arthur Smith. The press conference is scheduled for 1:00 PM ET, and we will be following along, providing you with all the important updates, so stay tuned.

If you’ve missed any of our previous write-ups on Fontenot, here are some of the positive things he’s been able to accomplish over his lengthy career with the Saints:

 

Player Acquisitions

It’s worth noting that Fontenot wears many hats, mostly the Director of Pro Scouting. He has a serious eye for talent, and he’s acquired players at positions that the Falcons have struggled with at times.

Looking at free agents, DeMario Davis became one of the best WILL Linebackers in the game after leaving the Jets — even at age 32. Fontenot’s recently helped snag Emmanuel Sanders and Malcolm Jenkins out of the bargain bin as well. The Saints rarely hand out bad contracts to free agents, and the Falcons had multiple bad ones this offseason.

 

Scouting Future Opponents

Even with Drew Brees completely toast and Taysom Hill being very limited, New Orleans finds a way to win regular-season games. They will have their hands full with Tampa Bay this weekend, but part of Fontenot’s job is evaluating the talent on the other teams. He’s done well; the Saints always seem to come in with a solid gameplan and adjust. As much as I clown New Orleans, they’ve been in a position to win playoff games (that they choked away) in each of the past three seasons. Most of that should be credited to Sean Payton, but Fontenot has been doing this for 17 years. Making adjustments and game-planning past the first half has been… problematic for Atlanta in recent years, to say the least.

 

Experience

17 years even as a janitor in the NFL is an impressive feat, especially for one organization. This will be Fontenot’s sixth year as the Director of Pro Scouting. He has seen the best years of New Orleans football by far, and I would hedge to say that he had a part in bringing Drew Brees on board, leading to their only Lombardi Trophy 11 years ago. Even if Joe Brady’s “readiness” is questionable, Fontenot knows this game inside and out.