Atlanta Falcons were the clear winners with Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith

The Atlanta Falcons are the clear winner of the new GM and head coach hirings.

As new Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and new head coach Arthur Smith get settled into their roles, one thing is clear, the Falcons won the offseason hiring blitz.

There were seven vacant head coaching spots and four general manager/head coaching vacancies at the end of the NFL regular season. The Jaguars, Texans, Lions, and Atlanta Falcons all hired both a new head coach and a new general manager.

Jaguars – zero Super Bowl

While the Jaguars made the biggest name splash by hiring former Utah, Florida, and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. Urban has zero NFL experience and as we have seen from the past, most successful college coaches flop in the NFL.

The Jaguars new general manager, Trent Balke, does have some NFL success as he helped build the 49ers into a Super Bowl contender with Jim Harbaugh, he tore that franchise down faster than he helped build it.

Lions – zero Super Bowls

The Lions made an interesting choice in naming Dan Campbell as their head man. If his bizarre introductory press conference was any indication of his future in Detroit, the Lions will go up in flames faster than the vacant house in 8 Mile.

Brad Holmes as the new Lions general manager seems like a home run, though his hiring of Campbell may sprinkle a lot of doubt.

Holmes comes from an NFL family. His dad, uncle, and cousin are all former NFL players and this is a guy that has worked his way up from being a PR intern to a general manager in less than 20 years.

Texans – six Super Bowls

At the onset, one might think that the Texans won the offseason GM/head coach pairing as new Texans general manager Nick Caserio has been part of six super bowl winning teams. However, he is coming from New England and there is one thing Atlanta Falcons understand, former Patriot front office personnel aren’t all they are cracked up to be.

Those that leave the Patriots organization usually go on to get fired whether it be two years or 12. Less than a month on the job Caserio has already managed to alienate the best player in the franchise, which is never a great way to start a new position.

Atlanta Falcons – one Super Bowl

Terry Fontenot may be coming from the Atlanta Falcons’ most hated rival, but there is no denying that the Saints have had far more success over the last two decades than the Falcons.

They have drafted better, developed better, and won more games than the Falcons have. Yes, they have more post-season meltdowns than the Falcons over the last two decades, but they also have more playoff appearances and more regular-season wins.

Fontenot along with new head coach Arthur Smith is going to bring a fresh perspective to the Atlanta Falcons as well as a lot of recent success.

Smith has been able to revive the careers of quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry, who were both on the scrap heap before Smith took over the offense in Tennessee. If he can do the same thing in Atlanta, the Falcons will be Super Bowl contenders.

We won’t know for several years if the Atlanta Falcons were indeed the true winners of the 2021 NFL general manager and coaching battle royal, but it sure seems that way initially.