4. Pushing out franchise legend Matt Ryan
The way the Falcons treated Matt Ryan in his exit under Terry Fontenot and Arthur Smith was fitting for such an awful organization. There is a reason the Falcons are yet to win a championship and the majority of this is due to poor front office decisions and incapable coaching. This was the case when the Falcons opted to push Matt Ryan out.
Ryan's final season with the Colts was a complete mess and would force the quarterback into retirement. The Falcons sold the move as a reset and looking to clean up cap space. However, this never made any sense with the team only needing Ryan to play one more season to be able to move on. There is simply no convincing any reasonable fan Ryan wouldn't have been far better than Marcus Mariota or Desmond Ridder even as a shell of his former self.
Ryan deserved a farewell tour and the ability to go out on his own terms. The team's decision to chase Deshaun Watson ended the career of the best Falcon in franchise history. Yet another example of the team's stellar ability to evaluate the quarterback position. Though to be completely fair it is important to note it appeared a large reason for Atlanta's chase of Watson was due to owner Arthur Blank's personal relationship. Regardless, the point remains it is yet another example of awful evaluation and decision making.