Judging the job a general manager does can be a difficult task. With the separation of offseason decisions and on-field play, there isn't a clear way to know whether you have the right guy manning the front office.
The Atlanta Falcons are in their fourth season under Terry Fontenot's guidance. They are also likely headed to their fourth season missing the playofffs and when you couple that with poor drafting and free agent signings, it is hard to imagine his job being safe.
Terry Fontenot could be fired after fourth season with Falcons
Terry Fontenot has struggled in many areas as an NFL general manager. Many of his issues have come in the draft where he has failed to acquire impact players.
Adding that to one of the worst contracts in NFL history from last year could ultimately force owner Arthur Blank to look elsewhere.
Fans have been calling for Fontenot and Raheem Morris to be fired in recent weeks. However, Morris appears to be safe; he is in his first season and despite a coaching blunder in Week 17, has done a lot of good for the team.
You can easily make the argument that this should be the end of Fontenot. Just look at some of his worst moves during his tenure.
2021:
- Signed RB Mike Davis (2yr, $5.5M)
- Drafted Kyle Pitts over Jamar Chase, Micah Parsons, and others
- Drafted Richie Grant, Jalen Mayfield, Darren Hall, and Ade Ogundeji
2022:
- Signed QB Marcus Mariota (2yr, $18.75M) and CB Casey Hayward (2yr, $11M)
- Drafted Troy Andersen, Desmond Ridder, Justin Shaffer, John FitzPatrick
2023:
- Signed QB Taylor Heinicke (2yr, $20M) and WR Mack Hollins (1yr, $2.5M)
2024:
- Signed QB Kirk Cousins (4yr, $180M) and S Justin Simmons (1yr, $7.5M)
There have been a lot of bad decisions on the part of Fontenot—none more so than the most recent with the signing of Kirk Cousins.
However, there is some saving grace for the fourth-year GM. Bringing in guys like Cordarrelle Patterson, Jessie Bates III, Darnell Mooney, Charlie Woerner, and Ray-Ray McCloud III over the years proved to be excellent decisions.
You also look at his draft history and it has improved each year, ignoring the 2024 class that still needs time. His first class was absolutely awful but then made some great picks with Drake London, Tyler Allgeier, Bijan Robinson, Matt Bergeron, and Zach Harrison.
Will those things save him? That is the big question that will be answered soon.