The Falcons don’t seem in a hurry to make any sweeping changes despite severely underachieving and missing the postseason for the seventh consecutive season. Raheem Morris’ job is assuredly safe after just one season as head coach, but there have been some rumblings about the standing of Terry Fontenot within the organization.
The Falcons GM has yet to deliver a winning record or lead the team to the playoffs in his four seasons with the team. His draft resumé is painful to look at, and he has to bear some responsibility for the decision to sign Kirk Cousins, who will make $100 million from the Falcons for just 14 games in which he was a well below average quarterback.
There’s not much good to say about the tenure of Terry Fontenot to this point in Atlanta, but the people inside the building seem to like him, including Raheem Morris, who had some intriguing comments in his exit interview on Monday.
“I would like to hope so… this thing’s just getting started,” Morris said in response to a question about Terry Fontenot returning for another season.Â
Based on his performance over his four years with the Falcons, Terry Fontenot doesn’t deserve another chance. However, the time to fire him was last year when Arthur Blank decided to let go of Arthur Smith. Moving on now is much more difficult. Any incoming GM would be dealing with a coach he didn’t hire and a mess on his hands with Kirk Cousins’ contract.
Of course, Atlanta is still an attractive landing spot because of Michael Penix Jr. and some of the other pieces in place. Plus, Raheem Morris is someone that’s well liked around the league. There would be plenty of GM candidates lining up out the door for the opportunity. However, for those hoping for an end to the Terry Fontenot era, it’s probably best not to hold your breath.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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