The Falcons made the news official on Sunday night, announcing the firings of head coach Raheem Morris and General Manager Terry Fontenot.
The two men met with owner Arthur Blank after Sunday’s 19-17 win over the Saints to end the season.
“I have great personal affinity for both Raheem and Terry and appreciate their hard work and dedication to the Falcons, but I believe we need new leadership in these roles moving forward,” Blank said in a statement. “The decision to move away from people who represent the organization so well and have a shared commitment to the values that are important to the organization is not an easy one, but the results on the field have not met our expectations or those of our fans and leadership. I wish Raheem and Terry the absolute best in their future pursuits.”
Morris was named head coach before the 2024 season, and the Falcons went 8-9 in each of his two seasons. He also served as the team’s interim head coach for the final 11 games in 2020, going 4-7.
Fontenot completed his fifth season in Atlanta after joining the Falcons in 2021. The Falcons’ record during his tenure was 37-48, with no playoff appearances.
The searches for the head coach and General Manager roles will begin immediately, the team said, with assistance from ZRG Partners in the head coach search and Sportsology Group in the G.M. search. No timeline has been set for completion of either search, but they will occur concurrently, according to the team’s statement.
