Raheem

Morris

The news comes shortly after the Cardinals hired Rams OC Mike LaFleur as their next head coach. Morris was one of three finalists for that role. Morris now reunites with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes that the two previously worked together with the Buccaneers (2004-2005), Commanders (2012-2013) and Falcons (2015-2016). Considering that the 49ers had supposedly placed Gus Bradley as their favorite for the defensive coordinator role, Morris is a nice get for them.

Morris spent the last two seasons serving as the Falcons’ head coach. Before that, he served as defensive coordinator for the 49ers’ division-rival Rams from 2021-2023. He held myriad roles with the Falcons from 2015-2020, coaching on both sides of the ball, including wide receivers and defensive backs.

Morris, fired by the Falcons after going 20-25 over three seasons, will join a bevy of former head coaches and coordinators in interviewing with the Cardinals, Titans, and Giants, who are reportedly “all in” on hiring former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Morris, 49, struggled with in-game decision making and was among the league’s most conservative fourth down decision makers during his three years in Atlanta. His defensive background would be appealing to any of these three teams after their defenses collapsed in 2025.

The Titans have already been linked to six head coaches and we’re not even out of Black Monday yet. Morris was a respectable 16-18 in two years in Atlanta, even if a significant number of those wins came after the Falcons were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs this past month. He had improved the Falcons defense by leaps and bounds in his second year — though it required quite a lot of draft capital to get there. The Titans are clearly casting a wide net in their head-coaching search.

Earlier today, prior to the Falcons’ 19-17 victory over the Saints, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Morris “may have saved his job.” Unfortunately, that was not the case. Morris’ time with the Falcons comes to a close after two consecutive 8-9 seasons. Morris is known for being a defensive-minded coach, yet the Falcons’ defense struggled to stymie opposing offenses this season, allowing 7.1 yards per pass play and 4.6 yards per carry. The Falcons also fired general manager Terry Fontenot, beginning a full front office reset for 2026.

We aren’t entirely sure who these “people” are, but Schefter knows as many people as any reporter around the league. That’s why we believe him when he says Morris is leaning safe, but that GM Terry Fontenot is on a hotter seat. Players love to play for Morris, but Fontenot’s huge front-office gambles have mostly fallen flat, none more so than last year’s shock selection of Michael Penix. We could still see Atlanta keeping the entire band together, but that seems unlikely at this point. Even Morris could still end up being let go depending on how this week’s exit meetings go.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke the news before Thursday Night Football, saying Blank had just visited the set. We suspect Rapoport’s sourcing is highly reliable here. The Falcons are currently 4-9. It is possible, both Morris and Fontenot are ousted in early 2026.

According to Graziano, the Falcons “are likely to use most, if not all, of their early-round picks on defensive players.” In hopes of collecting more draft capital, they could be willing to offer up their No. 15 overall pick to get that done, as the head coach Raheem Morris and company look to improve on a defense that ranked 23rd in points and yards allowed, while also ranking 20th in EPA per play. In addition, the Falcons have a handful of veteran defenders set to hit free agency, only further adding to the need to build up the defensive side of the ball. If they are willing to deal their first-round pick, the Falcons should have no trouble finding teams interested in moving into their spot.

ESPN reporters, including Jeremy Fowler, confirmed what Falcons owner Arthur Blank had said in February after the team went with Raheem Morris over Belichick, the second winningest coach in NFL history. Belichick had expressed willingness to work closely with Atlanta’s front office, including general manager Terry Fontenot. He had not — as some had assumed — demanded control of all team operations, though some in the Atlanta front office worried that Belichick would eventually take control of roster building. Some in the organization viewed Belichick as “an older, stoic coach who’d blow up the building.” Blank was leaning toward hiring Belichick, according to ESPN, before talking with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who warned Blank not to trust Belichick. A source close to Kraft told ESPN the Pats owner “found Bill to be extremely difficult and obstinate and kind of stubborn and, in the end, not worthy of his trust. And also very, very, very arrogant.” Other teams, including the Titans, were turned off by what Belichick had done to the New England offense in the years after parting ways with Tom Brady. Belichick, per ESPN, will pursue head coaching vacancies next January, including, possibly, the Cowboys.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter takes it a step further, saying the Falcons “plan to hire” Sean McVay’s defensive boss. The long-ago coach of the Bucs, Morris has been a popular retread candidate for over a decade, but it took coaching Aaron Donald to finally put him over the top for a second chance. Morris did excellent work with a Donald-led but overall thin unit in 2023. He was not a disaster during his three-year head-coaching stint, while he spent half a decade as a Falcons assistant, spending 11 games as interim head coach in 2020. He evidently made an excellent impression. Morris’ hire would mean Bill Belichick is left out in the cold, a highly-surprising development.