Falcons Reportedly Fire Head Coach Raheem Morris, GM Terry Fontenot

Updated Jan. 4, 2026 8:56 p.m. ET

The Atlanta Falcons' four-game winning streak to end the 2025 season wasn't enough for head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot to keep their jobs. 

Morris and Fontenot have both been fired by the Falcons, ESPN reported Sunday. The decision came hours after the Falcons' season-ending victory over the Carolina Panthers, in which Atlanta improved its record to 8-9.

However, the victory turned out to be too little, too late for Morris and Fontenot. The Falcons started the season rocky and their struggles culminated in a five-game midseason losing streak, essentially making the playoffs a long shot by the time Thanksgiving arrived. 

With the Falcons seemingly out of the playoff picture over the last couple of months, speculation about Morris and Fontenot's future in Atlanta began. FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer recently reported that the team has discussed hiring former quarterback and franchise legend Matt Ryan for a front office role, and that he's interested in the job. 

The Falcons hired Morris ahead of the 2024 season, notably tabbing him to replace Arthur Smith instead of Bill Belichick, who had also interviewed for the job that offseason. Morris was the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator prior to that, helping them win a Super Bowl.

This was actually Morris' second stint as the Falcons' head coach, although he was Atlanta's interim coach in 2020. Morris went 8-9 in both seasons as head coach. 

Fontenot has been the Falcons' general manager since 2021. Atlanta didn't post a winning record in any of the five seasons Fontenot was at the helm as it hasn't made the playoffs since 2017. 

Fontenot's tenure in Atlanta will likely be remembered for what he did in the 2024 offseason. After hiring Morris, Fontenot opted to make two big investments at quarterback. He signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $200 million contract before selecting Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Those decisions haven't paid off to this point. Cousins was benched late in the 2024 season for Penix as the veteran struggled down the stretch. Penix opened the 2025 season as the Falcons' starting quarterback, but he had his fair share of struggles before tearing his ACL in November.

This past offseason, Fontenot surrendered the team's 2026 first-round pick to the Rams in order to get a second first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for edge rusher James Pearce Jr. Pearce finished the year with 10.5 sacks, while the pick the Falcons gave up for him turned into the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

This is a developing story and will be updated. 

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