Atlanta Falcons owner and chairman Arthur Blank said the last several years simply haven’t been good enough.
“Good is the enemy of great and I think we’re capable of getting to another level,” Blank said at a press conference on Thursday.
After making the decision late Sunday night to fire head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot, Blank also replaced CEO Rich McKay with Greg Beadles, reassigning McKay to a role within the Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment organization.
The changes come after Morris posted back-to-back 8-9 seasons Fontenot oversaw a 37-48 mark in five seasons. Atlanta owns the second-longest playoff drought in the NFL, missing its eighth straight postseason to match eight consecutive losing seasons.
Blank, 83, the team’s owner since 2002, was not swayed by a season-ending four-game winning streak in terms of extending the leashes for Morris and Fontenot.
“It was my conclusion as the season went on that we were not achieving the level that I thought this roster was capable of performing at,” Blank said. “I have great respect and affection for both Raheem, who I’ve known for 11 years, and Terry for five years.”
Among the moves, Blank has decided to add a president of football role to the organization. In a letter to fans on Monday, the role is defined as a leader who will “set the vision and identity for our team.”
“This person we’re trying to hire will be responsible for everything that relates to football on the grass,” Blank said. “Both the general manager and head coach will report directly to that person, who will report to me.”
According to Blank, the president of football will be hired before the coach and general manager spots are filled. Blank confirmed the reports that former Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan will be among the candidates interviewed for the role.
“Matt is somebody we’ve had a long relationship with, we’ve continued to talk with, he is one of the candidates we will be interviewing,” Blank said. “Matt Ryan came into the league as a rookie in 2008, ended up leading a locker room of 53 for 14 years. His I.Q. when it comes to football is extraordinarily high. He’s the kind of person you’d certainly want to consider in that position, but we have other candidates that we’re interviewing as well over the next couple of days.”
In the midst of the Falcons’ 8-9 season, the team hired a consulting firm, Sportsology, to conduct a health assessment of the entire football operation. Sportsology and ZRG Partners — another advisory firm — will assist in both the head coach and general manager searches.
The 2025 campaign was marred with a season-ending torn ACL to quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on Nov. 16. Penix, who was drafted No. 8 overall in 2024 just months after Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal, is 4-8 in 12 career starts and has thrown for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing just 59.6% of his passes.
With Penix unlikely to be ready for the beginning of the 2026 season and Cousins’ future in Atlanta in doubt, Blank is standing by his often-injured quarterback.
“I do think Michael is our franchise quarterback,” Blank said. “He’s on a successful rehab program, he’s back in Atlanta, he’s committed mentally, physically, he feels good. … We’ll look forward to having Michael back, he had good surgery, we spoke to the medical staff, it seems to have gone well. With Kirk, we’ll see what will happen with him going forward.”
With the Miami Dolphins parting ways with Mike McDaniel on Thursday, there are now eight head coach openings. The Baltimore Ravens made the bold decision to move on from John Harbaugh after an 8-9 season, making him an attractive name for Blank and company.
“John has been one of the most successful coaches in the last 20 years in our league and he would certainly be a candidate we’d want to spend some time with. Whether or not he would have an interest in Atlanta, I don’t know,” Blank said. “I read earlier today that he’s not taking any interviews this week. He’ll probably start in the coming week and I’m sure we’ll have him on our cycle, assuming he’s willing to take an interview with us.”
The Falcons are reportedly expected to speak with recently fired Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. The team has requested interviews with Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
–Field Level Media
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