Falcons fire Raheem Morris, Terry Fontenot: What's next? - ESPN

Jeremy Fowler, Marc Raimondi, Dan Graziano and Matt Miller reported on this story.

ATLANTA ­­-- The Atlanta Falcons cleaned house Sunday night despite finishing the season on a four-game winning streak.

The organization has fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot. The search to fill both positions will begin immediately and be concurrent, per the franchise.

The Falcons have not made the playoffs nor had a winning record since 2017, and owner Arthur Blank's patience has clearly worn thin. Fontenot did not put forth a winning team in five years as GM. Morris went 8-9 in both of his seasons. The Falcons had a four-game losing streak in 2024 and a five-game losing streak in 2025.

Meanwhile, the team has still not found a successor as the franchise quarterback for Matt Ryan, who was traded away in 2021.

The Falcons have a good, young core — running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and edge rushers James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker — but the next regime will not have the benefit of a first-round pick in 2026. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is sidelined with a torn ACL and the jury is still out on whether he can be a top-flight QB. He was supposed to be the backup to Kirk Cousins, whom the Falcons signed to a $100 million deal weeks before drafting Penix. But Cousins struggled and got hurt in 2024, necessitating Penix playing at the end of his rookie season, which was sooner than expected.

National NFL reporters Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano, Falcons reporter Marc Raimondi and NFL draft analyst Matt Miller break down the moves from various angles.

Fowler: Because the wins, though noble and proved that Morris hadn't lost the locker room, were largely hollow. The Falcons needed that