Thomas

Dimitroff

Dimitroff was general manager for the Falcons from 2008 to 2020, drafting Matt Ryan and making the playoffs six times with an appearance in Super Bowl LI. He has remained in football analytics since then and has taken interviews with the Jets and now the Titans to return to the NFL. The Titans fired general manager Ran Carthon, but kept head coach Brian Callahan heading into the offseason. If Dimitroff does fill the Titans’ open general manager position, he will work with Callahan for a pivotal draft decision as the Titans hold the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft.

Dimitroff served as the Falcons’ general manager from 2008-2020 and helped them to a 113-95 record with six playoff berths and an appearance in Super Bowl LI during the 2016 season. He was let go at the end of the 2020 season and has worked in football analytics since 2022. Dimitroff is the CEO of SumerSports, which, per the team’s website, is a “data-driven platform that empowers teams with insights and tools to make informed decisions within salary cap constraints.” Dimitroff becomes the latest candidate to interview the GM opening that was created after the Jets fired former GM Joe Douglas back in November.

Dimitroff is the second former GM to be on Detroit’s interview list, along with former Texans GM Rick Smith. The team has also reportedly spoke with three internal candidates and current ESPN Analyst Louis Riddick. Dimitroff, 54, was previously voted as a two-time NFL Executive of the Year with the Falcons, building the team that reached the Super Bowl just four years ago. Detroit’s search is expected to continue well into the postseason.

Dimitroff’s firing comes in his 13th year on the job. Dimitroff survived in Atlanta long enough to build two championship cores — both oriented around his first draft pick, Matt Ryan — but the first one petered out in the NFC Championship Game while the second suffered one of the most infamous championship chokes in North American sports history. Dimitroff had run out of answers after losing OC Kyle Shanahan to the 49ers, time and again failing to fix a flailing defense or undermanned offensive line. Perhaps the decision wasn’t his, but Dimitroff sealed his own fate by failing to fire overmatched head coach Dan Quinn following the 2019 season. Now 54, Dimitroff’s résumé will probably get him a second chance to lead a front office, but closer inspection of his record would arguably reveal too much meat left on the bone building around a franchise player like Ryan.

The team has also fired longtime GM Thomas Dimitroff, leaving CEO Rich McKay in charge of football operations. Either DC Raheem Morris or OC Dirk Koetter, both of whom have head-coaching experience, will take over as interim boss. At the helm since 2015, Quinn’s run proved to be one Kyle Shanahan-fueled Super Bowl run and nothing else. This move should have been made at the end of last season, where Quinn followed up firing all three of his coordinators during the 2019 offseason with a 1-7 start. Quinn saved his skin with pointless 6-2 finish, but things had gotten even worse this year. A “defensive mind,” Quinn’s defense has a years-long habit of getting blown out of the building. A lot of that is personnel related, but Quinn has proven incapable of making lemonade out of lemons. There was almost never a game where the opposing head coach didn’t have the sideline advantage, something evidenced by the Falcons enduring one catastrophic choke job after another. Quinn is simply a classic case of a coordinator getting overexposed as a head coach.

It’s been reported a million times that the Falcons are expected to be aggressive with a trade up this draft, but moving from No. 16 to No. 2 would be unbelievable, especially for a defensive player. It’s highly unlikely that Atlanta could pull this off because Washington seems set on drafting the Ohio State star. It’s more likely that Atlanta targets a corner (Jeffrey Okudah or C.J. Henderson) or defensive lineman (Derrick Brown or Javon Kinlaw) on Thursday night. Of course, the Falcons aren’t one player away from a Super Bowl, so risking limited assets would be a major gamble for GM Thomas Dimitroff.

Mort added that they could even try to move into the top-five. This is consistent with a report from NBC Sports’ Peter King, which stated the, “worst-kept secret in draft rooms around the league: GM Thomas Dimitroff wants to trade up for one of the two top corners in the draft, Jeff Okudah or C.J. Henderson.” Look for the Falcons to be active come draft night.

The Falcons graded out poorly in DVOA against No. 1 WRs (18th), No. 2 WRs (30th) and Other WRs (28th) in 2019. Long-time No. 1 CB Desmond Trufant is now a member of the Lions. It’d be borderline shocking if the Falcons don’t devote an early-round pick to the back half of their defense, regardless of whether or not they ultimately choose to trade up.

The Falcons have just six picks in next week’s draft, so they’d likely have to dip into their 2021 stock to make a move happen. Defensive line and cornerback appear to be the team’s biggest needs right now. Maybe GM Thomas Dimitroff is eyeing someone like Ohio State CB Jeffrey Okudah, though that would likely require a huge leap into the top three or five picks. Do-it-all LB Isaiah Simmons, Auburn DT Derrick Brown, and Florida CB C.J. Henderson also make plenty of sense for Atlanta.

“Of course, I’m on the hot seat,” Dimitroff said. “This is a very urgent league right now.” The Falcons are just 18-30 (.375) over the past three seasons, while Dimitroff has ceded power to Scott Pioli. Dimitroff’s rosters have long been amongst the thinnest in the league. 2016 could be a make-or-break year.