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The Atlanta Falcons didn’t have to think much about their future when their season ended on Sunday.
The team didn’t even wait for Black Monday when it fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot on Sunday night.
The Falcons hired Morris ahead of the 2024 season, choosing him over candidates like Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel, Jim Harbaugh, Mike Macdonald and Ben Johnson.
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Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris on the sideline against the New Orleans Saints in the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Brett Davis/Imagn Images)
But Morris’ results weren’t what the Falcons wanted as they went 8-9 in back-to-back seasons.
“I have great personal attachment to both Raheem and Terry and appreciate their hard work and dedication to the Falcons, but I believe we need new leadership in these roles going forward,” owner Arthur 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 or our fans’ and management’s expectations. I wish Raheem and Terry the absolute best in their future endeavours.”
Crazy enough, the team’s record is the same as the division champion Carolina Panthers, so the Falcons were just one win away from making the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season. One of those losses was to the New York Jets, who would have had the first pick in 2026 instead of the second if the game’s outcome had been reversed.
Atlanta ended up winning their last four games, but it wasn’t enough for them or Morris and Fontenot.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris on the sideline against the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 26, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Brett Davis/Imagn Images)
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Morris previously served as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator and won a Super Bowl with them. He held several roles with the Falcons before leaving for Los Angeles, including serving as their interim head coach in 2020.
Morris initially replaced Arthur Smith, who served as the team’s head coach for three seasons. Smith is now the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who would make the playoffs with a win Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens.
Maybe the Falcons are kicking themselves for choosing Morris over several others. Vrabel won the AFC East in his first season with the New England Patriots, Johnson won the NFC North in his first year with the Chicago Bears, and Harbaugh is back in the playoffs with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, center, stands with his team while wearing an Apalachee High School T-shirt following a recent school shooting there before an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
There should be more names available for the Falcons, who are desperate to get the most out of Michael Penix Jr., who enters his third NFL season in September.
