Falcons Fire Head Coach Raheem Morris And GM In Re-Structure

ATLANTA, GA — The Atlanta Falcons have terminated Head Coach Raheem Morris and General Manager Terry Fontenot after an 8-9 season that ended Sunday with a 19-17 win against the New Orleans Saints.

The Falcons and the NFL made the announcement shortly after the home game via social media. Their season record mirrored their 2024 performance, when the Falcons finished 8-9.

"I have great personal affinity for both Raheem and Terry and appreciate their hard work and dedication to the Falcons, but I believe we need new leadership in these roles moving forward," Falcons owner/chairman Arthur Blank said in a news release.

"The decision to move away from people who represent the organization so well and have a shared commitment to the values that are important to the organization is not an easy one, but the results on the field have not met our expectations or those of our fans and leadership. I wish Raheem and Terry the absolute best in their future pursuits."

Additionally, in an open letter on Monday, Blank announced Greg Beadles as the new president and CEO of the Falcons to succeed Rich McKay.

McKay will assume the CEO role of Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment and is the incoming chair of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce board for 2026, Blanks said. McKay will continue to be a trustee board member, associate director of Blank's family foundation and co-chair of the NFL Competition Committee.

"... Rich will now be able to give full focus to critical AMBSE initiatives including: major events on the near horizon for Atlanta with the 2026 FIFA World Cup and NFL's 2028 Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS); renovations to MBS and construction of a world-class training facility for AMBSE's new NWSL franchise and the launch of that team coming in 2028; and other business development and organizational projects in various stages of planning," Blank said.

The Falcons dropped Morris after a two-season run. He served as the team's interim head coach in the last 11 games during the Falcons' 2020 season and officially became head coach after the team's 2023 season.

During Morris' tenure, the Falcons have not made a playoff appearance and have a combined 16-18 record.

Fontenot was let go after joining the Falcons in 2021; but again, the Falcons did not enter the playoffs under his tenure. The team went 37-48 under Fontenot's leadership.

"I understand trust is built through action, not words. Honesty, effort and accountability must be reflected in the way this organization operates and performs. Moving forward, every decision will be made with one clear objective – building a team capable of sustained success and competing for championships," Blank said.

"I am confident that our new football structure and leadership will have us contending again soon. We are laser-focused on filling these key roles and others with outstanding talent and empowering them correctly ahead of this critical offseason."

The Falcons have immediately begun their searches to replace Morris and Fontenot.

Morris was one of several coaches to be terminated this week. The Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns all lost their head coaches.