Former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff had some wild ideas for Titans

A couple of old Falcons head coaches are having success outside of Atlanta, with Dan Quinn leading the Commanders to the NFC Championship and Arthur Smith helping the Steelers to another postseason berth. But it’s been much more difficult for Thomas Dimitroff to break back into the league.

The former Falcons GM has had mutliple interviews for prospective jobs, including with the Titans this cycle. Hailing from the Patriots during the heart of their dynasty, Dimitroff was named NFL Exccutive of the Year in his first season with the Falcons, drafting Matt Ryan with his first ever pick.

During his tenure in Atlanta, he helped put together teams that won 10+ games six times en route to six playoff appereances but was let go in 2020, when the Falcons also fired Quinn. He’s interviewed for a couple of other GM jobs, along with the Tennessee opening, but he was passed over for Mike Borgonzi, and one of the reasons may have been his insane idea about keeping Will Levis and trading the 1st overall pick.

“The Titans are in that spot with a quarterback situation that’s complicated. The Will Levis thing is obviously one that came up in the conversation,” said Dimitroff on 3HL on 104.5 The Zone.

“If you’re sitting at the number one pick overall, personally I think you can move back. My nickname was Trader Thomas,” Dimitroff said. “There are nuances to Will Levis. Do you continue to build that offensive line, build that run game, take the damn pressure off that guy and give him one more year to show?”

There’s no arguing that the Titans need a lot of help, and whoever the quarterback is in 2025 could use a bolstered offensive line and more weapons, but let’s not pretend like Will Levis is the guy. Quarterbacks in this league can’t do it alone, but there’s more than enough proof that Levis isn’t the guy.

The Falcons were a stable franchise for more than a decade because Thomas Dimitroff drafted Matt Ryan, not keeping Joey Harrington and drafting Darren McFadden or Glenn Dorsey. Now, if Dimitroff didn’t like Shaduer Sanders or Cam Wrd, I could understand that stance, but he doesn’t say that.

If that’s the kind of stuff he’s saying in interviews, the former Falcons GM is never going to get another job as the lead man in an NFL front office.

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Photographer: Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire