There's been drama galore in Atlanta, and the dust is finally starting to settle. Almost immediately following the Atlanta Falcons' fourth straight win, a Week 18 victory over the arch nemesis Saints, Atlanta fired Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot.
The following morning, the team announced CEO Rich McKay was relieved of his duties as well, as Arthur Blank finally pursued an organizational overhaul.
With the stampede out of Atlanta mostly over, fans can sit back and decide for themselves what went wrong with the former GM. The man who brought us Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and James Pearce Jr. lost his job.
I believe the elite team builder made two wrong moves that backfired and wrongfully sealed his fate, both involving the most important position on the field.
Falcons fans know by now that firing Terry Fontenot was a huge mistake
Looking back, if the ridiculous Kirk Cousins signing didn't happen, or Michael Penix Jr. worked out, Fontenot would still be employed. He shocked the NFL world a month before the 2024 NFL Draft when the Falcons signed soon-to-be 36-year-old Kirk Cousins to a four-year $180 million deal.
The aging veteran was coming off a strong but injury-shortened season in Minnesota, where he tore his Achilles midway through the year. In 2021 and 2022, Cousins threw for over 4,200 yards twice and was nominated to a Pro Bowl both seasons.
Sure, the contract was a bit absurd, but acquiring Cousins was a good move.
Where Fontenot really doubled down was the NFL Draft, when he shocked the world again by drafting Penix eighth overall. In the team's self-declared last chance to select an elite QB, they decided to forgo improving the pass rush or other glaring holes and doubled up on the quarterback position.
The plan was simple: Allow Cousins to bridge for a season or two before Penix grew accustomed to the NFL and took over, but it failed miserably.
Four months later, Cousins was benched, and Penix finished the lackluster season with plenty of question marks. Two years later, Penix struggled mightily as a starter before tearing his ACL for the third time in his football career, causing his fifth season-ending injury in his last eight seasons.
When Cousins stepped in again, he never got the offense going, and he appears to be heading out the door.
Outside of these two decisions, Fontenot really nailed other major ones. The highly speculated, hilariously bold 2025 draft-day trade up to select Pearce thankfully worked out in his favor. Fontenot also brought Robinson, London, Pitts, Allgeier, and many other beloved difference makers to Atlanta.
His biggest flaw was the quarterback decisions, which backfired almost immediately. Of course, the reason for the desperate QB decisions was the abysmal play from Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke over the two prior seasons and his desire to not want to waste a competitive roster's prime.
All four of these QB's led Fontenot and the Falcons to a combined 37-48 over the last five seasons, with no winning seasons or playoff appearances, which did him in.
If Fontenot just got one quarterback decision right, he'd still be employed in Atlanta. With how much he's done to turn around the offense and pass rush, I think this decision was a year or two too early.
With the 2026 first-round pick now gone and no tolerable starting QB on the roster, the next Falcons GM will be in a deep hole before he even gets started.